Puppy Love
by xBleedingBlackRosex
Summary: The Warblers are not just a show choir. And when Kurt goes to spy on them, Blaine ends up introducing him to a whole new world he never imagined. Will their love endure the hardships? supernatural!Glee
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**I can't believe I'm actually doing this...*takes deep breath***

**Alright, guys, here's a supernatural one for you! I was inspired by porcelain bird's "Primitive Instincts," and I've gotten his/her permission to write this! :D It starts off with the same general plot, but after the first few chapters I take it in an entirely different direction :) I hope you enjoy!**

…

_Kurt's breathing hitched. Searing pain was quickly spreading throughout his body, pumping through his veins, setting his nerves on fire. His eyes were wide, but his vision remained black, darkness. It was too much. He was going to explode from shear excruciating pain if it didn't stop soon. But as the seconds dragged on, it only increased. This was no hickey. Hickeys were playful, ticklish. Hickeys made him blush and giggle. Hickeys were innocent marks from his boyfriend, reminding him and the world that they were together._

_But this...? This was pure hell._

…

Werewolves.

There were very few who actually knew the truth about these creatures – that they could transform voluntarily whenever they pleased; that they were always male when in human form, regardless of their genders as wolves; that their first transformations happened at around three months of age; that their powers peaked at eighteen years old, and gradually weakened to nothingness by the time they turned twenty-five; that they hardly ever made a human into a wolf after they were born, due to the dangers of such a procedure on both the pack and the man. This rare knowledge was treasured and protected by those select few who knew of it.

Now, to the casual passers-by, nobody would ever suspect that the members of the Dalton Academy Warblers were anything less than normal. They were handsome and popular and talented. Their fathers and grandfathers – previous werewolves themselves, although of course nobody knew that – had immense sway over the school, which helped them keep the Warblers' hidden identities shielded from the public. Once a month, during a full moon, the pack would sneak off campus to the surrounding woods in order to transform in secrecy, only hunting animals and keeping far away from humans, just to be safe.

These fifteen adolescent hybrids were the only werewolves in Westerville. In fact, they were the only werewolves in the entire country. There were packs in other parts of the world, of course, including one farther north in Canada, but as far as the United States went, they stood alone. They stuck together, too, never venturing far from Ohio, considering how difficult it could sometimes be for them to blend into regular society. As teenagers, they were forced to weaken themselves in gym class, ignore things they would not have otherwise noticed without their heightened senses, and in general act just like every other normal teenage boy. As adults, it was a struggle for many of them to find a wife, seeing as how she would have to be accepting enough of the situation to allow her children to inherit the gene. Boys would unavoidably become werewolves. Girls would only be genetic carriers, which meant that if _she_ were to have a son, he would also be a wolf.

It was convoluted and mystifying. But it worked. And they got by.

…

**Interested? Yeah, me too! ;D Hahaha the actual plotline will begin in the next chapter. See you soon!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	2. Chapter 2: A Chance at Romance

**Alrighty, here goes nothing~ Hope you enjoy!**

…

It was no secret that Blaine Anderson loved to sing. And he was pretty good at it, too. Okay, _very_ good. So it came to nobody's surprise when he ascended to the lead soloist position within the Warblers. But that wasn't the real reason he was the leader of the group.

It was because he was the Alpha wolf of the pack.

_From: Wes_

_Dude, where are you? Hurry up!_

Blaine sighed at this latest text. He was lingering in his room for a reason. To the rest of the students, that afternoon's "impromptu" performance would simply be another little treat from their beloved show choir. But in reality, it was an important werewolf ritual called Marking, or Choosing, performed by Alpha males for generations upon generations at the first full moon following their seventeenth birthday. Within the next four weeks, Blaine would have to choose a mate. And he was _so_ not looking forward to making that decision.

Out of the fourteen other members of the Warblers, only four of them – Nick, Jeff, Trent, and Thad – were Carriers, meaning they transformed into female wolves during the full moon instead of male wolves like the rest of them. There were always fewer females than males. It did not mean they were less respected by the pack, of course. However, none of them particularly appealed to Blaine in either form, human or wolf. Nick and Jeff were both gay, which was nice, but unfortunately they were also together. Ordinarily Blaine would have chosen either of them, since that gave him the option at a real romance instead of just a fling meant solely for the pack, but he could not put them and their relationship through that. He may have been the Alpha, but he was no boyfriend-stealer.

Thad was openly desperate to carry Blaine's pups. This was made all the more awkward by the fact that he was not gay. In fact, he had a girlfriend that he loved dearly. Yet the potential status of an Alpha Carrier was apparently too great for him to pass up. And there were no words to describe how strange and uncomfortable it was for Blaine to spend his class time mulling over which Warbler – all four of whom were basically his brothers, or, in a sense, sisters – to impregnate. _Talk about your family drama. Nobody _else_ has to worry about this kind of thing. They get to worry about schoolwork and girlfriends and money! I get to worry about running an entire wolf pack. Awesome._

The last of the Carriers, Trent, was not nearly as clingy or obsessive as Thad. Still, he had made it very clear that he would not be objectionable, should he be chosen. Blaine was not actually too sure which team he batted for.

So Blaine supposed that Trent was probably his best choice in the long run.

_From: Blaine_

_Be there in a minute._

He heaved yet another sigh and made his way out the door. He had no physical or emotional attraction to Trent. He was a good guy and all, but there was absolutely no chemistry between them. They'd all been raised together; the thought of mating with any of them felt sort of incestuous to him._ It's not like we'll be together forever_, Blaine reminded himself. All he needed to do was choose a mate. Then, when the litter was born, the pups would fight one another in the infamous Pup Fight, and the last two standing would become the potential next Alphas, to be decided by Blaine as soon as he turned twenty-five. It was just part of the clan rules. His father had done it before him, and his grandfather had done it before that. And _they_ weren't even gay! Despite his current role as Alpha, Blaine really had no say in the matter. Nobody else seemed to have a problem with it. It was another practice, another tradition. Choose a mate, impregnate him, move on.

_If only it was that simple._

Perhaps it was the romantic in him that made him so opposed to it all. He wanted to meet a cute guy, fall in love, get married, grow old together, that sort of thing. But that seemed to be slipping through his fingers more and more every month, when he became coated in thick black fur and ran on four paws and slaughtered innocent woodland creatures. What normal human would ever be willing to accept someone like him? Obviously, it was not unheard of, seeing as how almost all werewolves before him had managed to marry and have kids.

He strode down the staircase morosely, dreading the upcoming performance. This indicated the beginning of his Marking month, during which he would be expected to Choose a mate, and the Warblers assumed that he would make that decision during the song, considering his only known options were already one of them and aware of the situation. Of course, he did not technically _have_ to Choose any of them now. But would it really matter? _I might as well just Choose a mate now and get it over with..._

"Excuse me?"

He turned to the sound of the angelic voice, surprised to find it coming from the mouth of a boy. And a rather attractive boy, at that. He had short, perfectly coiffed brunette hair, pale skin, and eyes that seemed to constantly dance indecisively between blue and green. He wore designer clothing that somewhat resembled the Dalton uniforms. Somewhat. And if that hadn't already given it away, Blaine could smell the telltale scent of public high school on him – the girls' perfumes, the jocks' sweat, the lingering wafts of cigarette smoke, even something that smelled vaguely of..._Is that the artificial flavoring in slushies?_ And yet Blaine could still detect the underlying aroma of the boy himself, the distinctive smell that helped identify him.

And he smelled _delicious_.

Quickly crushing these primal observations, Blaine swallowed and raised his eyebrows in an invitation for him to speak.

"Um, hi, can I ask you a question? I'm- I'm new here..."

Blaine flashed him a winning smile and held out a hand to shake. He decided to play along for the meantime, interested in why this cutie was pretending to be a new student. Besides, he was more than willing to kill some time before the performance. And, if he was honest with himself, it also had to do with wanting to spend some time with the guy. There was an undeniable pull towards him, like a magnetic force, gravitating Blaine towards him. It was both unnerving and thrilling. "My name's Blaine."

The boy seemed almost taken aback by his welcoming grin. But then he smiled – and it was a gorgeous smile, Blaine couldn't help but note – and shook the proffered hand. "Kurt." Blaine paused, marveling at how smooth his skin really was. It almost seemed inhumanly soft. And then, as Kurt pulled his hand away, Blaine's enhanced vision spotted something on his palm that intrigued him. The Birthing Line. Any male could be born with it; it was not all that uncommon, even among humans. Boys who _did_ have that particular crease – and were werewolves – were Carriers. Humans who had it _would_ have been Carriers if they'd been transformed.

And Kurt had it. For some reason, that excited Blaine.

"So what exactly is going on?" Kurt asked, glancing around at the students rushing down the stairs around them.

"The Warblers!" Blaine chuckled. It was humorous how little this 'new student' knew about Dalton. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the Senior Commons. Tends to shut the school down for a while..." He adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder. For the first time in a long while, he felt himself grinning, not just to placate others, but to himself. He really liked this stranger. Even though they'd just met, he felt comfortable around him. Relaxed. Like he didn't have to pretend around him. Like he didn't have to hide.

"So, wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?" the brunette questioned, bemused.

Blaine stared at him. _Is he serious?_ "The Warblers are like rock stars!" While that might have been a slight use of hyperbole, it had basis in fact. The show choir members were the most popular boys in school. Whether that had to do with their vocal talent, or their handsome features, or their sparkling personalities, nobody knew. Others were just inexplicably drawn to them, the same way Blaine was drawn to Kurt right now.

Kurt's eyebrows leapt in pleasant surprise. Clearly the show choir – the 'glee club,' as he had put it – at his school was not as popular. Blaine wondered if he was a member of it. Was he from a competing school, perhaps? Surely he hadn't been sent to spy on them, right? If so, he was doing an awful job. It seemed more like he was genuinely interested in Dalton, not in wheedling their setlist out of Blaine.

And suddenly, Blaine knew what he wanted to do for his song. It was a risk, and totally illogical, and completely spontaneous and potentially dangerous.

But he didn't care.

"Come on!" He grabbed that soft hand once more. "I know a short cut..."

…

**Cute, yes? Yes ;P After this, you're gonna have to wait for a little while for a new chapter :( I gotta focus on my finals for the next couple of weeks. Because, shockingly, writing fanfics during class doesn't help you pay attention to your lectures! I know, weird, right?**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	3. Chapter 3: One Month

**I know this is still very similar to "Primitive Instincts." I promise, it's going to have its own plotline and ideas soon enough! :)**

…

Blaine pushed open the double doors leading to the Senior Commons with a wide smile on his face that none of the Warblers missed. What some of them did miss, however, was the boy he was leading. They were all too relieved that he had actually shown up to notice the stranger, even though he did not exactly blend in with the other uniformed students.

"Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb!" Kurt breathed, abashed. He had known his outfit was no Dalton blazer, but he had not realized just how different they were. He desperately hoped that his cover of being a new student would hold with everyone. Especially this boy. Blaine. He did not want to lie to him any more than was necessary to keep his cover. He seemed like a genuinely good guy.

Blaine grinned and readjusted the lapel of Kurt's 'uniform,' even though there was nothing actually wrong with it. He just wanted an excuse to let his fingertips brush over his collar. "Well, next time don't forget your _jacket_, new kid! You'll fit right in..." He patted his shoulder and couldn't resist flashing a little wink.

Kurt grinned in that adorable oh-silly-me sort of way. Just then, the Warblers began the backup vocals to 'Teenage Dream,' none-too-subtly indicating to Blaine that it was time for the ritual to begin. _Time to Choose_, they were singing wordlessly.

"Now, if you'll excuse me..." he smiled warmly. He did not want to leave Kurt's side, but his packmates were not extraordinarily patient, as a general rule. They were probably all interested in seeing who Blaine would Choose – because, of course, they all assumed he would Mark one of the Carriers right away. Thad was looking pretty cocky, as if he already knew that Blaine was going to pick him.

Blaine frowned and looked away.

"Who's he?" David whispered out of the corner of his mouth, beaming around at their surrounding audience. After all, to the rest of the students, this was just a regular Warbler impromptu performance. They had to keep up the guise. But the scent of public high school still clung to Kurt, and the wolves' enhanced senses of smell were beginning to draw their attention to the intruder.

"Kurt," Blaine muttered under his breath. "I'll explain later."

It was clear that the taller man wanted to press further, but it was Blaine's queue to begin singing, so with a quick glance towards the brunette he fell silent and moved to his designated place among the Warblers. Blaine stepped forward and recited the familiar lyrics, loving that their audience was obviously so enraptured by his voice, but loving even more that Kurt seemed in awe of him. If there was anybody in the room he wished to impress, it was that boy standing there in the doorway, wide, innocent blue eyes soaking it all in.

Blaine felt his hormones begin to rise, to seep out of every pore like an invisible gas. It was a strange sensation, to Mark somebody, but for some reason it also felt completely natural, as if he'd been born to do it. And he supposed, in a sense, he _had_ been.

Although Marking a _human_ probably wasn't in the game plan...

On one of the spins, Blaine caught Thad's expression. The boy was clearly struggling very hard to hide his disappointment and disbelief at discovering that Blaine was not singing to him, Choosing him. Trent flashed him a nod of acceptance. Jeff was openly grinning, his boyfriend Nick matching his smile's voltage next to him. They had not been too worried at the prospect of Blaine picking one of them, but there had always been that chance. They were no doubt pleased to know they would not have to put their relationship through that strain.

When the song ended, the students broke into uproarious applause. They immediately began to break up and return to their regular school day. The Warblers all congratulated each other, still playing along with the façade that it was just a regular performance. But secretly, they were all eager to press Blaine for an explanation.

After all, by the time the song had ended, Blaine's Mark had been left to linger upon a complete _stranger_. He didn't blame them for having questions.

"What's going on?" Wes murmured under his breath, speaking through his faux-grin.

"Who _is_ this guy, and why on Earth did you just Choose him?" David agreed. They did not seem angry with him, more just curious and a little disapproving. Having a human for a mate was just _begging_ for some major drama and complications. They'd heard heartbreaking stories about such arrangements that could reduce even the toughest men to tears.

"Kurt," he repeated. "As you can probably tell, he's not actually here as the new student."

"Obviously," Wes hissed impatiently. "Is he a spy from another show choir or something? I didn't realize high school clubs actually did that sort of thing..."

"I think so," Blaine nodded. "But I don't think that's all. If that was his real intention I think he could have done a bit better with his disguise. Here, come meet him, if you're so interested," he added, smug. He knew they'd love Kurt just as much as he did. Well, obviously not as much, since Blaine liked him enough to Choose him as his future mate, whereas David and Wes were both straight. It was impossible for them to love Kurt as much as he did.

_Whoa. Wait. Love?_ Blaine had never even thought of that. He knew there were definite feelings for him, but..._Is it love?_ He had always been a sappy romantic. This, to him, seemed precisely like love at first sight. And if it was, it was incredible.

_Whatever it is, it's strong enough to make me Mark him. I really hope I didn't just make a huge mistake..._

Blaine made his way over to the intruder, grinning. "What did you think?"

"You guys are incredible!" he gushed. Blaine's smile only widened. _Man, his voice is just so beautiful...!_ If he had not already known that werewolf emotions were much more intense than humans', he would have been unnerved at how quickly he was falling for Kurt. Plus, it helped that his advanced sense of smell told him that Kurt's unique scent was without a doubt the most alluring aroma he'd ever gotten whiff of. That was definitely a good sign.

"Why don't we go get some coffee?" Wes suggested innocently.

"And we can discuss why you've snuck in here." David's smile was kind, but the underlying threat made Kurt blanch. He looked like he was about ready to make a run for it. But Blaine quickly stepped forward and steered him gently towards the mini-café next to the cafeteria. They all sat down while Blaine ordered them four coffees.

"Latte?" he offered, sliding the cup across the circular table towards Kurt.

"Thank you," Kurt practically mouthed, probably too nervous to speak properly. The three werewolves could faintly hear his heart pounding in his chest, muffled through his shirt and jacket. It was sort of...cute. At least, to Blaine it was. His friends were still examining Kurt closely, suspiciously.

"This is Wes and David," Blaine introduced, sending them both subtle behave-yourselves glances in the process.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me to coffee before you beat me up for spying..."

Blaine was too stupefied to speak immediately._ Is he serious? He thinks we're going to hit him? What, has he been beaten up before?_ Judging from his nervous demeanor, the answer was yes. And that infuriated Blaine. _Who would ever want to hurt him?_

From the looks of it, Wes and David were pretty taken aback at the assumption, too. "We are _not_ going to beat you up!" Wes promised, smiling at the mere thought. They were all, of course, perfectly capable of doing so. But the Anderson pack had always been very good about only attacking animals. Humans were an unspoken forbidden zone. Just because they were half-wolf did not mean they were necessarily more violent than everybody else.

David chuckled a little. "You were such a terrible spy," he confessed, "we thought it was sort of..._endearing_."

Blaine took a sip of his own coffee. He'd always been impressed at how smoothly those two could lie through their teeth. All of them had to be pretty good at it. It wasn't easy going through life as only half-human, after all. They were all something of professionals at creating cover-ups and convincing falsities. "Which made me think that _spying_ on us wasn't really the reason you came..." Blaine hinted.

His hunch had been correct. Kurt broke into a guilty smile. Clearly Blaine had struck upon the truth, or at least some of it. It only made him that much more curious to find out the real cause for Kurt's visit, though. If not for getting a one-up during Sectionals, then what?

Not that he was complaining. He'd only met this guy ten minutes ago, but already he could hardly image what his life would be like if he hadn't. For one, he'd probably have Marked Trent. And he _definitely_ didn't want to think about that.

"Can I ask you guys a question?" the fashionista inquired hesitantly, quietly.

They waited expectantly, silently inviting him to continue.

"Are you guys all gay?"

They all burst into snickers before they could help themselves. _Ah, so that's it. _Blaine grinned to himself. Kurt was worried about offending them. He answered, "Uh, no...I mean, _I _am," he quickly amended, not wanting to give Kurt any reason to pass over him as a potential boyfriend. "But these two have girlfriends."

"This is _not_ a gay school!" David explained calmly as Kurt took a sip of his latte. It was not the first time a newbie had gotten that misinterpretation, after all. "We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy."

"Everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are. It's pretty simple," Wes shrugged. Blaine bit back a grin. _Yeah...even werewolves..._

Kurt looked torn between shocked and utterly depressed. His lips quivered with words unspoken. Blaine frowned. He did not like the sight of Kurt on the verge of tears. It hurt him in a way he had not thought possible. Surely he couldn't have already developed such a strong bond to him, right? _Of course I could have. I Marked him, didn't I? That's got to say something._ Werewolves had more powerful emotions, it was true, but to feel so connected to this boy – this human – after less than an hour seemed almost impossible. _Is this the result of the Choosing?_ When his father had explained what the ritual meant for the pack, he had conveniently left out what it would do to the Alpha emotionally.

Or perhaps the other Alphas had not developed this kind of bond with their mates. Perhaps this was something else entirely.

"Could you guys excuse us?" He said it like a question for their guest's sake, but both Wes and David understood it for what it was. An Alpha command. They immediately got to their feet. Defying their leader would have been very unwise, even though they were both members of the Council.

"Take it easy, Kurt." Wes flashed a reassuring smile. This was also a subtle message to Blaine. _We'll withhold judgement until later_. But Blaine knew that as soon as Kurt left, the Council – and the rest of the pack, no doubt – would be on his case about it all.

But that could wait. Kurt was more important at the moment. He leaned in as soon as his friends had left and guessed, "I take it you're having trouble at school..."

He watched Kurt blink away the water in his eyes, hand fiddling with the cardboard holder of his coffee cup. If he started crying Blaine was fairly certain he'd die at the sight. _If you go on like this for much longer you'll surpass even the sappiest of romantics..._he scolded himself. No Alpha had ever been this lovestruck. He was sure of it.

"I'm the..._only_ person out of the closet at my school. And I- I tried to stay strong about it, but...There's this neanderthal that's made it his mission to make my life a living _hell_...And nobody seems to notice!" His voice wavered. He pursed his lips, holding in the sobs. Blaine wanted nothing more than to come around the table and take Kurt in his arms and let him cry on his shoulder. But he didn't move. He couldn't. Not yet, anyway. He simply sat there, glued to his chair, desperate to find some way to cheer him up. At the moment, he'd kill to see that adorable smile of his again.

"I know how you feel...I got taunted at my old school and it really- It pissed me off. I even complained about it to the faculty, and they were _sympathetic _and all but you could just tell that nobody really_...cared!_"

It was only a white lie, at most. When he was younger, he was indeed taunted, by both his packmates and some of the last generation's werewolves. He did not have the typical, strong Alpha build. They would joke that the Pup Fight had been rigged, that he was not actually meant to be the next Alpha of the pack. He tried to talk to his parents about it – his father and his wife, that is; his biological parents were two straight men, as strange as that sounded – but they were not particularly understanding. His father was disappointed that his successor was so 'weak'; it was clear he would have chosen Gavin if he'd had the choice. His mother preferred to just stay out of it.

_Don't think about Gavin. Not now._

But then, in his first year at Dalton, he finally put his foot down. The other werewolves – both current and former alike – made sure never to tease him about his size again after that fateful night, when the power that had made him one of the two winners of the Pup Fight all those years ago was revealed once more.

He kept up with the homophobic-harassment-at-his-old-school story, though. "It was like...'Hey, if you're gay, your life's just gonna be miserable. Sorry! Nothing we can do about it.' So I left...I came here. Simple as that." _Or, at least, as simple as a teenage werewolf's life could be._

He leaned in closer. Kurt was listening with rapt attention now, buying every word he said. The dark-haired singer hoped that someday soon he would be able to tell him the full story, the truth. "So you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton's sort of steep and I- I know that's not an option for everybody." And judging from Kurt's expression, Kurt was not rolling in cash the way the Andersons – and most of the other Warblers' families – were. "_Or..._you can refuse to be the victim. Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance, right now, to _teach_ him!" And by 'teach,' he did not mean beat the living crap out of the bully. Because he'd been there, done that, and it wasn't all that satisfying.

"How?"

It pleased him to know that Kurt was taking his advice to heart. Leaning still closer across the table in his excitement, he insisted, "Confront him! Call him out!" He did not want Kurt to suffer the way he had. "I ran, Kurt...I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away and it is something that I really, _really_ regret." Okay, so he hadn't been chased away. He'd nearly maimed the rest of his pack. But Kurt didn't need to know that. What Kurt needed right now was encouragement.

The brunette nodded fervently. Blaine grinned and pulled out his cell phone. "And I'll be with you every step of the way, okay? Here, give me your number. If you ever need me, I'm just a call or text away."

After exchanging numbers, Kurt was forced to leave and return to his real school – William McKinley High School, as he confessed. Blaine did not want him to go, but could not come up with a valid reason for him to stay any longer. So he bid him goodbye with a reminder to text or call him at any time.

With Kurt gone, the gravity of the situation weighed down on him tenfold. It was time to deal with the interrogation of his pack. Heaving a resigned sigh, Blaine made his way up to the Warbler Hall where, as had been expected, the rest of them sat awaiting his return. The second he walked through the doors – a few seconds before, actually, since they'd been able to hear and smell his approach – the room burst into noise.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Who was that?"

"Why did you Choose him, man?"

"How do you expect to mate with a human?"

"Are you insane?"

"Tell us what the deal is!"

"How do you two know each other?"

"Is this a joke?"

"SILENCE!" he roared above the din. Immediately, the boys settled back down. The authoritative tone in his voice was overpowering; they obeyed him on instinct. "I don't need you guys on my back about this. It was my choice. Wes and David both met him." He turned to the two members of the Council, inviting them with a nod to speak up in confirmation.

Wes glanced around the room. "We did," he nodded calmly. "He's fine, as far as humans go." Blaine's hands curled into fists at that. _Did being human make Kurt anything less than extraordinary?_ Really, _they_ were the ones that were inferior. _They_ were the ones that had to live falsified lives for the first twenty-five years. What was so great about that? "Blaine, you must understand. This isn't an issue with Kurt as a person! This is an issue of the pack. Of our secrecy, our traditions..."

_Screw them all!_ Blaine wanted to scream. But he held it together. He was the Alpha. He, of all people, could not just throw away the pack's sacred practices. Even if he didn't always agree with them or like them. "I realize that. I do. But _you_ must understand that this is my decision, and I'm sticking with it. We've both read the original scripts, Wes – you know as well as I do that I've done nothing wrong. The Alpha has the right to Mark _anybody_, male or female, human or wolf."

"But you'll also recall that it's your _duty_ to somehow produce pups!" Wes reasoned. "There are _very_ limited options for you now...You could-"

"You don't even know him!" Thad exploded. He was still clearly very upset that he had not been Chosen as the Carrier to birth the Alpha's pups. _Creepy_. "Why would you pick some human you've never met before? It's insanity!"

"Blaine, why don't you start from the beginning?" David suggested, striving to keep the room calm. Luckily, he had a naturally soothing voice that had come in handy many a time when the pack began to get too rowdy. "This is the first time you met, am I right?"

"Yes," he confessed grudgingly. "He was sent by the glee club at his own school to spy on us. But he was really just interested in the school...He-" But he stopped himself. Kurt's troubles with his main bully was his business. Blaine didn't want to bring that up with the Warblers. "He wants to come here. He's really nice, and I-..." He sighed. "You guys know I'm not very good about talking about my feelings, but...I _really_ like him."

"He's gay, right?" Jeff inquired. He and Nick were two of the few who did not seem phased in the least with Blaine's decision. They sat side-by-side on the couch, smiling encouragingly up at their fellow homosexual.

"Yes," Blaine nodded with a grin. "Gay and single..."

"It doesn't matter!" Thad snapped hotly. "He's still human! He doesn't know the first thing about werewolves! How the hell do you expect to mate with him? He's not a Carrier. He's not even a wolf!"

"Thad, calm yourself," David chided. "There are standard procedures for this sort of thing, remember? It's not like this is the first time an Alpha has Chosen a human." A thought occurred to him and he turned to address Blaine. "He- Kurt, does he have the Birthing Line?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "He does."

"Alright." David returned his attention to Thad. "So, yes, Kurt may be human, but at least there are still options. It just make things a little more complicated..."

"Yes it does..." Wes mumbled. He seemed deep in thought. But at last, he broke from his reverie and sat up straighter in his chair. "I don't see why Blaine shouldn't be able to at least try to woo this Kurt guy."

"Agreed!" Nick spoke up.

"Seconded!" Jeff beamed.

"If you can get Kurt to fall for you within a month, and make sure he will be okay with our, uh, _condition_, then we will support you two in any way you require," David nodded.

The rest of the pack murmured their consents over Thad's splutters of protest. Finally, out of peer pressure – and some pretty threatening glares from the Alpha – he gave in. The motion was passed with the bang of the gavel. Blaine had one month. One month to win Kurt's affections. One month to introduce him to the world of werewolves. One month to convince him to become his mate.

One month to decide his fate.

…

**Long chapter is long...Hope you enjoyed! :D I'm getting impatient with writing the scenes from the show, but they're sort of needed for the storyline, and there's only one left, so I'll endure ;) Sorry it took so long to update! But I guess you guys already know that...It seems like I can never post a new chapter without having to apologize for that XP**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	4. Chapter 4: Ask and You Shall Receive

**I'm glad this will be the last chapter that mostly have scenes stemming directly from the show. I'm eager to just get on with my own AU :D Haha**

**P.S. Wrote this chapter super fast instead of going to dinner. Lol but that's okay, because I'm 10 feet away from the greatest soft serve ice cream Tokyo has ever seen. (Yes, I'm in Japan. Be jealous. Be super jealous. XP)**

…

Blaine and Kurt texted and called each other almost constantly over the weekend. They talked about everything and anything. It was incredible how easily the conversation flowed between them, how quickly they began to learn more about one another. Their topics ran the gamut, ranging both in seriousness and importance. They could be discussing same-sex marriage one minute and then debating which Antarctic animal was the coolest (pun intended) the next. By the time Monday came around, Blaine felt like he'd learned more about Kurt in three days than he had about Wes or David in three months.

There was always the nagging voice in the back of his head (which sounded eerily like Wes), reminding him that he only had a month. But he did not want to rush Kurt into anything and potentially ruin his chances. He wanted to go about this like any normal couple would – go on a date, put his arm around him in the movie theatre, accidentally-on-purpose bump hands over the popcorn, have a perfect first kiss on the doorstep...that sort of thing. His being a werewolf was not going to take over his entire adolescent life. He'd sworn to himself it wouldn't. He was content for now with just getting to know Kurt better, growing closer as friends before taking the next step. He had time.

But then disaster struck.

On Monday, shortly after school ended and Blaine had returned to his dorm room to get started on his homework, he got a call from Kurt. The caller ID on his phone made Blaine grin widely. He answered with a cheerful "Kurt, hi!"

But Kurt was far less cheerful. "Hey...Can I talk to you? Do you have a minute?"

Immediately, the dark-haired boy tensed. "Yeah, of course." _I always have a minute for you._ "What's wrong?"

There was a long pause. Then, with a sigh, Kurt mumbled, "Karofsky...He, uh..."

"He what?" Blaine pressed. Anger flared in him at once. If that dull-witted jock hurt Kurt in any way – enough that he had to call somebody about it – Blaine was going to personally teach him a lesson. Verbal abuse and the occasional locker-shove was awful, yes, but it was manageable. If he did something worse...Blaine could hardly bare the thought. "Kurt, what did he do?"

Kurt's voice was tiny when he spoke next.

"He...kissed me."

Blaine very nearly dropped his phone. Slowly, almost robotically, he closed his textbook; there would not be any studying done anytime soon. He could hardly believe it. It didn't seem possible. But he knew he hadn't heard wrong. _The biggest homophobe in school is a homo himself?_ The irony would have been hilarious, had it not involved stealing a kiss from those perfect pink lips. It was all Blaine could do not to get up and go over to Lima at once to comfort his friend (and hopefully future boyfriend). But he stayed where he was. He would not go unless Kurt asked for his company.

"He...? Wow..." Blaine muttered stupidly. "Jesus Kurt, I'm...I'm _so_ sorry! I don't understand...What happened? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but..."

"I don't understand either," Kurt confessed, sounding torn between stunned and angry. "Remember when we were texting today? And then I suddenly stopped responding?"

"Yes," Blaine said at once. He had been slightly – okay, maybe a little more than slightly – worried at the time when Kurt's texts suddenly stopped coming. But he had assumed that Kurt had just started class with a very strict teacher and didn't want to risk getting his phone confiscated. So he'd tried to push it from his mind. Apparently, that had not been the case.

"Well, that's because Karofsky came and shoved me into the lockers again." This was said with a resigned air, as if he was no longer affected by these near-daily encounters with the metal walls. "And, well, your last text had been 'courage,' and I just...I wanted to do what you said. I wanted to stand up to him for real, you know? So I- I ran after him and confronted him. There was...a lot of yelling. He dented one of the lockers."

"And then he..._kissed_ you?" Blaine demanded. He sat up even straighter, homework long forgotten. If anybody had been around, they would have cowered from the expression on his face.

"It was so out of the blue!" Kurt groaned. "I had no idea...! I mean, he never showed any signs of...! I didn't know how to...!"

"Sssh, it's alright, Kurt, just calm down," Blaine soothed, glad to hear that his own voice was much more calm and collected than his heart. "Everything going to be okay. I promise...Here, do you want me to come over? I can be there in a flash..."

"N-No..." Kurt sniffed. "Y-You probably have homework to do. I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything. I just...I just needed to talk to somebody..."

Blaine was beyond flattered that _he_ had been the first person Kurt wanted to talk to. Although his joy was ruined by the reason Kurt needed to talk to someone. He vowed then and there never to let Karofsky harm Kurt again. He would transfer to McKinley himself if it came to that, although the rest of the pack would definitely put up quite the fight if he ever tried. But Kurt came first. Always.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Blaine checked. "I really don't mind! Maybe if I came and talked to Karofsky tomorrow...?" He was not entirely sure he could be civil with the football player, but it was worth a shot. Besides, he expected Kurt to turn down the offer anyway.

But, to his surprise, Kurt whispered after a moment, "...Would you? That might help..."

Pleasantly taken aback, Blaine assured, "Yes, course I will! Anything for you." He mentally swore at himself for letting that part slip. He hurried on. "Just give me a time and I'll be there. You know I'm always here for you, right?"

He could practically see Kurt's smile through the phone. "_Thank you_, Blaine..."

…

"Wait, Blaine, where are you going?" Jeff asked, pausing in the hallway as the soloist in question all but barreled him down in his haste to get to the stairwell. "Our next class is _this_ way...?"

"Sorry, I'm not going to class today," Blaine apologized, bouncing in place in his eagerness to get to Kurt. "I'm going to McKinley."

"You're- Why?" Jeff pressed, baffled. Blaine was never one to ditch lessons. Then understanding hit him. "Oh, wait, isn't that where Kurt goes?"

Blaine nodded. "He's been having some issues with bullies. I'll see you later!"

He turned to continue on down the corridor. "Blaine!" He stopped once more and glanced back, waiting for whatever it was the blond wanted to say. "Just...Just don't lose it, okay?"

Blaine knew what he meant. _Don't blow our cover. Don't transform in public. Don't let your emotions overpower everything._ He wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. With a reassuring smile and nod, he descended the stairs and strode so casually towards the front door that nobody batted an eye when he slipped out. He headed for the parking lot just to be safe, but instead of getting into his car, he continued on into the forest surrounding campus. The moment he was out of eyesight, he transformed and broke into a sprint.

…

Being a werewolf had its advantages. Instead of wasting two hours on the freeway driving from Westerville to Lima, he was able to run there on all fours in a direct line, shielded from view by the woods. If somebody did manage to catch a glimpse of him, they would see nothing but a dark brown blur. He was able to get to McKinley in just under an hour, arriving and changing back into human form just as he heard the bell ring for lunch. He was panting hard from the exertion, but he was pleased to find that the chill of the wind had kept him from overheating and sweating. Because there was no way he'd be able to come up with a believable excuse for that. _'My car's heater is stuck on full blast'? __Yeah, no._

He made his way quickly towards their designated meeting spot at the edge of the courtyard. Kurt came into view at the same time his unique scent wafted through the odor of public high school to Blaine's nose. He felt himself beaming brightly. Even though they'd only been apart for a few days, it felt like forever. Automatically, at the sight of the stylish boy, he felt himself relax. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be.

"Hey," was his easy greeting.

"Hi," Kurt breathed, smiling as well. He truly did have the most gorgeous smile in the world. _Stop it, Blaine! You're here for moral support, remember? Karofsky? Kissing? Angry?_ "Thanks again for coming...Are you sure you're not missing too much of class? I don't want to you fall behind in your studies because of me..."

"It's no trouble!" Blaine waved the concern away with ease. "I can miss out on a period or two...Besides, this is far more important."

Kurt flushed a little as he led the way towards the stairwell. "Well, thanks. Karofsky has chemistry right before lunch, so I think he's on the second floor..."

Blaine put a comforting hand on the small of his back, loving the excuse to be close to him. "Let's do this..."

…

Blaine did not know what had made him invite Kurt to lunch. Perhaps it was the sight of the beautiful boy, once again close to tears. Perhaps it was a distraction to keep from chasing after Karofsky and knocking his lights out, werewolf style. Perhaps it was his subconscious nudging him to take action upon his feelings. All he knew was that ten minutes later, the two of them were entering Baldwin's Bakery together and getting into line behind an elderly couple that looked so content with life that they could very well keel over and die a happy death any second.

"What looks good?" Blaine asked, wanting to take Kurt's mind off the recent encounter with his main harasser.

"Hmm..." Kurt peered at the display case. "All of it," he confessed with a little chuckle.

Blaine grinned. Kurt was so much cuter when he laughed. It was nearly unfathomable that anybody would want to erase it from his face. "Then let's get everything!"

Kurt laughed again and playfully shoved his shoulder. "Don't be silly! We could never eat that much. And besides, that would be super expensive." He returned to mulling over the menu, eyebrows still slightly drawn. His shoulders were tense, too. It seemed that Blaine's failed attempt at getting across to Karofsky was still at the forefront of Kurt's mind.

Blaine paid for their food – a butter croissant for Kurt, a ham sandwich for himself – and together they sat down at a small table near the back. There were not too many people in the shop at the moment, but it was far from empty. Everybody was nibbling on their lunches and snacks, typing away on laptops, and chatting with their friends. It was a very comfortable atmosphere. Blaine made a note to come here more often with Kurt.

"Don't worry about it too much...okay?"

Kurt heaved a sigh, then smiled across the table at him. "I'll try."

Blaine covered Kurt's hand with his own, hoping that the brunette did not see it as too forward. "I wish I could do something more to help..."

Kurt's smile this time was bright. His shoulders began to relax. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm sorry, I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Don't-...I mean, I'm not..."

Blaine grinned warmly. "Kurt, don't think like that! It's totally fine. You don't have to face this on your own."

Kurt blushed a little and smiled down at his half-eaten croissant.

And then, before he could hold it in, the question Blaine had been dying to ask finally slipped out. "Kurt...What would you say to dinner this Friday night? With me?"

His stomach fluttered and his heartbeat raced as Kurt's gaze slowly found his own. It seemed like forever before the taller boy finally asked, "Y-You mean...like, a date?"

_Crap_. "I don't want to rush you into anything," he quickly backtracked. He was beginning to seriously panic. Had he just screwed everything up? Had he lost his chance? Had he gone too quickly? Had he ruined it before it'd even begun? He wanted to dig himself a hole and die a quick and painful death in it. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been.

"No, no! I know," Kurt assured. Blaine perked up. _So then...?_ "I-...I'd love to!"

…

**Sorry it took such an ungodly long time to post anything! Japan has been keeping me REALLY busy...I promise, next chapter will be better. Not necessarily faster, but better ;D There'll finally be some development. I'm tired of following the original story up until now (as you can probably tell) so next chapter and on will get better :) Well, hopefully, at least...lol**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	5. Chapter 5: First Date

**Still in Japan. Still having a great time :D Haha although now I'm in Kyoto...I think I like it better here than in Tokyo. But my favorite is still Nara! I love you all and apologize once again for not getting anything up in so long. I'm neglecting fanfiction...But I promise I'm still as dedicated as ever to all my fics! :) Just please be patient...**

…

Blaine picked Kurt up at six o'clock, sharp. Jeff had managed to talk him out of bringing flowers, but it had been a close call. He had insisted that it was traditional and thoughtful, but Jeff was firm in his stand against cliché practices on their first date. The blond had been through this with Nick, after all; Blaine trusted his advice.

Kurt answered the door in black jeans, a silky periwinkle button-up, and a dark gray vest that hugged his torso just so. Blaine quite nearly began to drool at the sight.

"Hey," was the brunette's nervous greeting.

"Hey," Blaine repeated back dumbly. Then, shaking himself out of his trance, he grinned and added, "You look great!"

"Thanks," Kurt smiled, embarrassed. Then, over his shoulder, he called, "I'm off, Dad! See you later!"

"Be careful!" was the muffled response. Kurt closed the door quickly behind him and fell into step with Blaine as they headed for his car. Blaine raised an amused eyebrow.

"I bribed him so that he wouldn't embarrass me," Kurt confessed, smiling widely as Blaine opened the passenger door for him like a true gentleman. "I made him his favorite dinner, and in return he promised not to get up from the dinner table when you came." Blaine came around the car and slid in behind the wheel. "I probably shouldn't have told you that..."

Blaine just laughed, though. "Hey, I'm not complaining! I'd rather avoid any chances of embarrassing myself in front of your father for as long as possible." He started the engine, put it in reverse, and peeled out of the driveway smoothly. He could feel eyes on him and realized that somebody – Kurt's father, no doubt – was watching them from the window. He made sure to drive particularly safely down the street.

"Oh _please_, you couldn't embarrass yourself if you tried!" Kurt shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Are you kidding me?" Blaine burst into laughter. "Just last month I fell off the back of a couch during one of our impromptu numbers..." He immediately mentally kicked himself for letting Kurt know that. He wanted to impress him, after all; showing him his clumsier side would definitely not achieve that.

Kurt's eyes widened. "Oh my god, were you hurt?"

"No, no, I was fine. The lamp I hit didn't quite make it, though..."

Then, after a pause, Kurt's eyebrows drew together. "Wait...Why on Earth where you on the back of a couch?"

Blaine glanced at him, pursed his lips to show that he wasn't about to tell, and refocused on the street. They both burst into laughter at the same time. Since they were well out of eyesight of the Hummel window, he added a little more gas. Kurt didn't seem to mind. It only took them ten minutes to get to Breadstix, but it felt like ten seconds to the two occupants of the car. _Time really flies when the person you're with is so incredible..._

…

"So how's the situation with Karofsky going?" Blaine inquired delicately. They were halfway through their meal. Normally Blaine would have been finished with his dinner already, but seeing as how they spent their entire time talking, it was taking both of them much longer to eat. Not that either of them cared. Kurt couldn't even remember the last time he'd smiled so much.

But as this new topic was broached, his grin faded. His fork swirled through his spaghetti. He was silent for a moment.

"That good, huh?" Blaine frowned sympathetically. He rested his head on his fist, elbow on the table, and gazed at Kurt's face intently, trying to read his expression. He did not want to broach the subject insensitively.

"He..." Kurt bit his lip. He seemed to be debating whether to say something or not. When he glanced up at Blaine, the older boy did his best to look as trustworthy and supportive as possible. So with a sigh, the countertenor confessed, "He threatened me."

Blaine's ears began to ring. The hand supporting his head clenched so tightly that he had to hide it under the table in his attempt to retain his calm demeanor. He could feel his werewolf side struggling to come out, rage driving him to transform. He dug his nails – longer than normal, he couldn't help but notice; a very dangerous sign – into his thighs. _Threatened? Somebody threatened Kurt?_ It was all he could do not to get up and hunt down the bastard at once. It wouldn't be too difficult for him, either. His nose could lead him to anybody.

"What do you mean?" he pressed. "What did he say?"

"He...um," Kurt muttered. "He...He said he'd kill me if I told anybody about him kissing me..."

He glanced up and met Blaine's eyes at last. Blaine, the one person he'd told. He could see the fear in Kurt's eyes, but at the same time he also saw the trust. If he wasn't so enraged, he would have been flattered to know how much faith he had in him. As it was, though, Blaine was having a very hard time holding himself together. _Don't transform, don't transform_, he chanted to himself.

"I can't believe he..." he growled, almost to himself. "That son of a-!"

He was actually halfway out of his seat when Kurt reached across the table and gently grabbed Blaine's elbow.

"Please, don't get upset," he soothed. He even managed a half-genuine smile. "Sit down. It's...I can deal with it."

Blaine exhaled sharply, but complied. When Kurt moved to withdraw his hand again, he grabbed it and held it between both of his. He could not even fathom how such soft, caring hands could have attracted so much hate. He wanted to kiss those hands and swear on his life never to let anybody else harm him.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this," he murmured whole-heartedly. Kurt smiled again in thanks. "I promise, if there's _anything_ I can do to help..."

"There is." Kurt sat up straighter. "Let's get off this topic, please?"

They both laughed. Blaine let go of his hand and returned to his pasta. "Your wish is my command!" he said dramatically, waving his fork about. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know...anything!"

"Alright..." This was an opening that he simply could not pass up. Blaine took a purposeful bite of spaghetti before speaking again, hoping that he retained an air of nonchalance as he asked, "Kurt...What do you think about the supernatural?"

The younger boy paused, slowly lowered his drink. "I-...What? You mean, like, witches and vampires and stuff?" Blaine nodded his head once. His palms were sweaty; his heart pounded. He wanted Kurt to take the question seriously, despite how random and unimportant it may have seemed. Luckily, the brunette's expression was contemplative, not amused. "Well...I don't know, I guess there must be _some_ things out there that people would consider 'supernatural.' The stories have to come from _somewhere_, right? I mean, I'm not saying I'm a total believer in magic and all that, but...I don't know, there's always that possibility, you know?"

Blaine was so relieved he nearly kissed him then and there. Kurt was open to the concept, as Blaine had been predicting and hoping. There was a good chance that when – _if_, he forced himself to amend – he told Kurt about the Warblers, he would be able to accept it. The urge to leap up onto the table and burst into a soulful chorus of "Hallelujah" was powerful.

"Why do you ask?"

Blaine shook his head quickly. "No, no reason! It was just the first topic that came to mind to distract you. Did it work?"

Kurt laughed. "Perfectly."

…

**Short chapter is short. And yes, not a whole bunch happened. Don't worry, we're getting to the real drama soon! Haha stick around :) Next chapter will be a very short time-skip, just to move things on a bit. I get very tired of filler dialogue (as you might be able to tell lol). Until next time, then!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	6. Chapter 6: First Kiss

**Guess who's back from Kyoto! This girl xD Japan was incredible, but it's nice to be back home :) TOTEMO TANOSHIKATTA DESU YO! Haha school is starting for me in a couple weeks, though, which isn't so exciting. Homework and college apps will take up ALL my time T.T Tell me again why I thought it'd be smart to take almost all AP's this year...? *sigh* Summer assignments are pressing right now, too, so please bare with my long pauses between updates! I truly do wish I could spend all my time on these fanfics!**

**Alright, enough wallowing in self-pity. Enjoy!**

…

Blaine hurried through the halls. Confused faces flashed passed. But none of them mattered. Only one was on his mind, only one he wanted to see.

"Hey, Blaine!"

A different face blocked his progress. He skidded to a stop before slamming into one of his best friends. "Hi, Wes! Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry-"

"Where do you think you're going?" Wes demanded, bemused. "Physics would be _that_ way...And I'm assuming you have a good reason for bowling everyone down like uniformed pinballs...?"

"Kurt's here," Blaine explained. "He just texted me. I want to be there to meet him at the front. Physics can wait. Besides, I'm sure the teacher would be proud of me for personally welcoming our new student to Dalton."

Wes sighed heavily. He knew better than to try and talk the Alpha out of ditching. And, to be fair, they both had top marks in that class; Blaine could probably ditch for the next _week_ and still be fine. Nevertheless, as a member of the Council, there was still something that needed to be said. "Blaine..." He lowered his voice so that the boys passing by would not overhear them. "Remember...Kurt's probably in a really delicate state right now. What he needs more than anything is a _friend_, somebody he can rely on. Not a werewolf mate."

Blaine's expression hardened. He did not need anybody telling him just how emotionally wrought Kurt was. He was all too painfully aware as it was. The phone call he'd gotten by a tearful Kurt the night previous was more than enough of an indication. "And I have full confidence that all of you will be as friendly as possible towards him." It was a warning, an order. The Warblers _would_ befriend Kurt. End of story. But he knew what Wes was implying. "I understand Kurt's situation, Wes. I'm not going to force him into anything he doesn't want to do. You know that. But _you're_ the one that put the stupid one-month limit on this!"

"That's not my fault!" Wes defended. "It's tradition! I'm part of the Council, man! I can't just toss all our customs out the window for you...You know that."

Blaine sighed, but nodded. He _did_ know that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. Now, if you're excuse me, I just need to get to the Main Hall and help Kurt out in any way I can." As he brushed by, he added, "Oh, and Wes...?"

"Yeah?" The older boy sounded tired, but expectant.

"You...You _will_ let Kurt join the Warblers, right?"

Wes raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to our a capella group or our _special_ group?"

Blaine rolled his eyes at the semi-sarcasm. "You just told me he's fragile, remember? I don't think he could handle our 'special group' just yet. No, I'm talking about the Warblers as _singers_. Kurt was in his old show choir...Glee club, he calls it. I'm positive he'll want to join Dalton's now. I've never actually heard him sing, but I'm willing to bet he's pretty good. Besides, it's not like _we_ were all chosen because of our vocal talent-"

Wes nodded and cut him off. "I'll talk to David and Thad. But I'm all for it, yeah. If you're really as dedicated to him as you seem to be, it's probably best he gets used to us as people before dropping the furry bomb, as it were." He smiled at his own metaphor.

Blaine beamed. "Thanks, man." And with that, he took off once more for the stairwell. Kurt awaited.

…

Blaine arrived at the front entranceway just as Kurt was stepping out of his car. The excitement of seeing him again, and the prospect of being able to see him every day during the school year from now on, was making Blaine bounce on the balls of his feet. The brunette waved when he noticed him standing in the doorway. Blaine waved back energetically and headed towards him. But then, as he got closer, he picked up on something very mood-killing. Kurt was emanating nerves. His eyebrows were slightly drawn, his smile was slightly weaker, his shoulders were slightly more tense. Blaine could practically smell it radiating off him. And all of a sudden, he was reminded of the reason Kurt had transferred.

Karofsky.

"Hey there," Blaine offered with as much cheer as he could muster, drawing up to the younger boy. He wanted to do everything he could to make this transition as smooth as possible for Kurt, to make him feel safe again within the walls of Dalton Academy, and within the Warblers. He wanted to make up for all the discrimination and bullying at his old school by surrounding him with acceptance and love. "Good to see you!"

"Thanks." Kurt smiled, clearly glad to see a familiar face right away. An older man that could be none other than Kurt's father came up behind him, having just parked his own car next to Kurt's Navigator. Sure enough, Kurt glanced back up at him and added, "Dad, this is Blaine. Blaine, this is my dad, Burt Hummel."

"Very pleased to meet you," Blaine said sincerely, flashing his best winning smile and shaking his hand firmly.

"Same here," Burt nodded. "I wish it were under different circumstances..." He glanced towards his son carefully. Blaine did the same. Kurt met Blaine's gaze and rolled his eyes slightly in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. But Blaine could easily see through his façade. Inside, he was still uneasy.

"I promise, I'll try and help Kurt get adjusted to life here as much as I can," Blaine assured. "You can count on me, sir. He's safe here now."

"Um, excuse me, I'm standing right here!" Kurt put in, making them all chuckle a little. But Burt looked genuinely relieved.

"Thanks," Burt smiled, clapping a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Care to lead us to the main office?"

"It would be my pleasure," Blaine grinned, gesturing them dramatically forward into the Main Hall.

…

After Kurt got his schedule and board all sorted out, Blaine and Burt both helped lug all his bags up to his new room, number 224. As they walked down the second floor hallway, Blaine pointed out his own room, 220, secretly overjoyed at his luck. Kurt was only four doors down from him! However, since the school tried to put the boys into doubles before using the singles, Blaine had a roommate (Wes) and Kurt didn't.

"Oh my goodness!" Kurt gasped upon unlocking and entering his new abode.

Burt leaned around him to see what had made Kurt freeze. "This is a _single_?" he demanded in disbelief. Blaine couldn't help but chuckle a little at the Hummel men's identical looks of awe. He could remember his own first day at Dalton and how shocked he'd been at the size and extravagance of the rooms.

The single had a king-sized bed, a large polished wood desk, an antique-looking bedside table, a wardrobe that could probably fit eight children in it with ease, a full-length mirror in the corner, a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and its own private little bathroom. Kurt dropped his sheets onto the bare bed and looked around, stupefied. Burt muttered something about understanding the tuition costs now. Blaine crossed his arms and leaned against the frame of the door, amused.

"How do you like it?" he asked.

Kurt smirked, realizing how silly he must have looked just gazing around the room with a dropped jaw and wide eyes. "I think I can make it work..."

"Enough room for all your stuff, that's for sure..." Burt grumbled in approval. "I'm gonna go down and get the last of the bags. Start unpacking, will you? And Blaine..." He turned to the dark-haired boy standing in the doorway. "Thank you very much for your help. But don't you have classes you should be at right now?"

_Oh, crap._ "My teacher allowed me to skip this period to come greet our new student," he lied smoothly. "But it's almost time for next class to start...Kurt, I'd be happy to swing by at lunch and show you around!"

"That'd be great, thanks," Kurt beamed.

Blaine nodded respectfully to Burt. "It was good to meet you, sir."

"Pleasure's mine," he returned gruffly. Blaine flashed a final smile to Kurt and made his way quickly to his Physics classroom. He was glad his first meeting with Burt Hummel had not gone disastrously. He wanted Kurt's father to have a good impression of him, so that if and when he and Kurt got together there would be no tension right off the bat.

He entered the room just as the bell rang for the end of class. Wes caught his eye and gave him an exasperated I'm-not-covering-for-you look before hurrying on in the stream of boys leaving the room. Blaine approached his teacher's desk and put on his best apologetic, innocent smile. _Time for some more manipulating..._

…

Blaine all but sprinted to room 224 the moment the bell for lunch rang. He knocked on the door sharply and waited. He heard Kurt moving around from within. "Come in!" the angelic voice called. Blaine did not hesitate to do so, but stopped abruptly in the doorway. The room, which mere hours before had been completely bare, looked like a department store had just exploded within it. Clothing sat in stacks everywhere. The bed was made, the walls were adorned with Broadway posters, and the desk now played host to a silver computer, which was currently playing the soundtrack to Moulin Rouge.

"Blaine, hi!" a semi-breathless Kurt greeted cheerfully, straightening up from a suitcase he'd been leaning over, a pair of shoes in each hand. His cheeks were adorably flushed and his hair was ever so slightly falling from its perfect mold.

Blaine grinned. "Hey, yourself!" He took a step farther into the room, careful of the luggage everywhere. "I see you're settling in nicely..."

Kurt chuckled and followed his gaze over his things. "Yeah, I guess..."

"Want that tour now?" Blaine offered.

"Sure!" Kurt placed the shoes hurriedly onto a shelf and leapt over his luggage towards the door. His last step took him closer to Blaine than he'd realized. He was so startled by the proximity that he nearly lost his balance. Blaine instinctively reached out and grabbed onto his arms firmly, steadying him. Kurt looked up at him through impossibly long lashes, a flattering blush tinting his cheeks, lips parted from his surprise. Blaine could hear his breath hitch. His own heart was going crazy within his chest.

"S-Sorry," Kurt finally breathed.

Not trusting himself to speak immediately, Blaine swallowed heavily and shook his head. "No trouble," he managed. Forcing himself to let go, he cleared his throat and slipped his hands into his pockets, out of temptation's path. "So...Shall we go then?"

"Yeah." Kurt reached for his key and made to lock the door behind him. Blaine stifled a laugh. "What?" he asked, confused as to what was amusing about it.

"You don't need to lock it," Blaine explained easily. "Nobody steals around here. The only time you'd ever need to lock your door is if you're leaving for the weekend..."

"Oh..." Kurt was taken aback, but he slipped the key into his pocket nevertheless and followed Blaine down the hallway. He was clearly not used to being in such a comfortable, safe atmosphere.

Blaine showed him all around Dalton. They grabbed a bite to eat from the cafeteria before Blaine introduced him to his future teachers, many of whom they would share, much to his excitement. Many students greeted them as they passed and welcomed Kurt to the school. A couple of them gave none-too-subtle winks at Blaine in congratulations, which made Kurt blush every time. He was obviously blown away by how friendly everybody was. Blaine considered it a great success, and made a point of brushing his hand against Kurt's as often as he could. When lunch ended, Blaine was forced to leave Kurt's side once more and attend his afternoon classes, promising to return to Kurt's room and help out with the last of his unpacking as soon as lessons were over for the day.

"Oh, hey, Kurt!" he added, turning back.

"Hmm?" Kurt spun on his heel, smiling expectantly. Blaine subtly wiped his sweating palms on the inside of his pockets. Nerves jittered away in the core of his stomach. He hadn't been this uneasy since his first hunt. But he knew if he didn't get it out now, he may never gather up the courage.

"Would you...? I mean, do you think...Um." He took Kurt's hands in his own. The taller boy's eyes widened as he guessed where this was going. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my boyfriend?"

Kurt's jaw dropped. Before he could answer, Blaine hurriedly added, "I- I know it's really soon, but I _really_ like you, Kurt, and now that we'll be able to see more of each other-"

Kurt cut him off with a delicate finger to his lips. He tasted heavenly. Blaine could practically breathe him in, he was so close. _Oh god, his lips look so good..._

"Yes," Kurt breathed with a wide smile. "Yes! I'd love to..."

It felt like his brain had shut down. It was Blaine's turn to look shocked. That one simple word kept repeating over and over in his head as he tried to let it sink in. The feeling in his chest was akin to floating.

_He said YES!_

And without further ado, he drew him in for his – and, as he would find out later, Kurt's – first kiss.

And it was perfect.

…

**And as with all good fanfics, the happy-happy joy-joy isn't going to last forever ;D I gotta put SOME drama into it, you know? Hahaha in the next chapter, Kurt is going to meet the Warblers for real and Sectionals are coming up...Fingers crossed I get it out before school starts up again!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	7. Chapter 7: At the Warbler Table

**School's creeping up on me, and I've realized just how little progress I've made this summer on my writing :( So I'd just like to take a moment to thank all my loyal readers and reviewers for sticking with me, even through my unplanned hiatuses...I LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS MERCEDES LOVES TOTS! No joke. Hahaha wish me luck on my final year of high school...! :)**

**P.S. September 20 is WAY too far away! I think I'm gonna shrivel up and die from Klaine-deprivation...*serious nod***

…

The next day was stressful for Kurt. Beginning at a new school was never easy. Throw in the fact that Dalton was ten times more academically challenging than McKinley, and the fact that he was entering halfway through a semester, and it was no wonder he was panicking after only two periods. Blaine did his upmost to help in any way he could, of course, even though they did not have identical schedules. And everybody was very thoughtful, teachers and students alike. His instructors talked with him and tried to get him caught up, while his classmates did their best to include him and teach him the basics of the lesson.

"How you holding up?" Blaine asked at lunchtime.

Kurt groaned loudly. "Why did I think going to a smartypants school would be a good idea?" He smacked his forehead with his European History textbook. "I'm going to drown in make-up papers, Blaine! _Drown!_"

Blaine laughed and slipped a comforting arm around his waist, reveling in the concept of being able to do that at last. Because they were _boyfriends_. He could hold his hand and kiss him whenever he pleased and not have to worry about being too forward or pushy. It was mind-blowing. He felt lucky enough to win the lottery. "I'm sorry...How does an intense tutoring session tonight in your room sound?"

Kurt moaned once again, but this time it was less in self-pity and more in gratitude. "That sounds wonderful!" he gushed sarcastically. "Not quite as good as a nice night out on the town, but...It'll do." His head fell to rest on Blaine's shoulder, unperturbed by their footsteps. They walked in perfect sync with each other.

Blaine chuckled and kissed his hair. "I'll bring the coffee, alright?"

Kurt leaned back up to beam into those gorgeous hazel eyes he fell for that very first day on the stairwell. "What did I do to deserve somebody as _perfect_ as you?"

"That's what I ask myself all the time..."

They kissed just as they reached the cafeteria, meaning quite a few boys caught a glimpse of their display of affection. The more gossip-driven students gaped and immediately began to text and chatter, but for the most part there were just smiles exchanged. Blaine was very well-known around school, after all, and it was nice to see that he had finally found somebody to love.

David and Wes appeared, seemingly from thin air, behind them in line.

"You two sure look cheerful," Wes observed, about as subtle as a neon yellow whale in the Senior Commons.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged grins and nodded, but neither were quite sure what to say. David elbowed Wes in the ribs and asked Kurt kindly, "How are you getting adjusted?"

"Classes are a lot harder here," the brunette answered honestly, sliding a turkey sandwich onto his tray, marveling to himself at how recognizable the cafeteria food was here as opposed to McKinley's, "but the people are much nicer. It's a very different atmosphere..." He glanced at Blaine's slightly worried expression and added, "I'm sure it will just take a little getting used to. And besides, I have my _genius_ of a boyfriend here to help me pass!"

Blaine laughed loudly and began to deny the 'genius' categorization. Before he could even get the first word out, though, Wes suddenly nudged his arm and requested, "Do you think I might be able to talk to you for a moment out in the hall?" His back to Kurt, he widened his eyes pointedly. Blaine knew that it must be important and grudgingly agreed.

David stepped in smoothly. "Kurt, come on, let me introduce you to the rest of the Warblers! We always sit back here at the largest table..."

Kurt threw a parting smile to Blaine and followed the dark-skinned boy across the cafeteria. Blaine unabashedly admired the way his hips sashayed from side to side as he walked, until Wes rolled his eyes and practically dragged him out of the room by his sleeve.

"What's up?" Blaine asked the second they were in the hallway. Already he was eager to return to Kurt's side. The lovestruck puppy within him was coming out, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Wes's eyebrow traveled northwards. "Did you not listen to a thing I said yesterday, Blaine? Kurt's been through a lot! He's not really emotionally steady right now-"

"Oh, don't talk about Kurt like you know him!" Blaine snapped, much more harshly than he'd intended. He just wanted to float along on his high of finally getting together with Kurt, and here Wes was, trying to shoot him down from his cloud. It really got to him. Out of all the Warblers, Wes had been his friend for the longest (shortly followed by David). They were really close. He had expected _him_ at least to be supportive. "I'm _well aware_ what Kurt's gone through! But I asked, and he said yes. End of story. It's not like I forced him into it or something! Why can't you just be happy for me, Wes? For _us_? Kurt and I...We've both found happiness with each other...Don't you realize that this could be my _only_ chance to find a life partner that could accept me as I am? As a _freak_?"

Wes sighed at the bitterness that had leaked into the Alpha's tone. He knew better than anybody just how much stress and pressure being the leader put on the poor boy. "I _am_ happy for you two, Blaine. Truly, I am! I think Kurt's a great guy, and I genuinely hope that it works out for the best. But...Blaine..." He leaned in so that he could lower his voice once more. "Are you sure you've thought this all the way through?"

"Not at all," Blaine confessed, an apologetic smile on his face. His defensiveness melted away. He knew Wes was just looking out for him. If it weren't for him, he probably would have gotten into a lot more trouble in his youth.

"No matter how you look at it, this relationship is going to have to endure a lot of hardships," Wes reminded regretfully. "Not _only_ are you two going to have to deal with the typical homophobia from the outside world, but you're going to have to find some way to work around the werewolf traditions! Kurt's human, and still ignorant of our ways...And as the Alpha, it's your duty to officially Choose a mate by the time the next full moon arrives!"

"I know, I know!" Blaine groaned. He was sick of his 'duties' always interfering with his personal life. Especially this mating one. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. "I know," he repeated. "I'll find a way to make this work, okay? I just...need some time to think."

Wes nodded understandingly. "I've got your back, man, whatever you decide," he said, clapping Blaine on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get back to the others. I'm sure you're going _crazy_ not being near Kurt."

Blaine 'accidentally' shoved him into the doorframe as they reentered the cafeteria.

…

"So, Kurt," David began, as soon as the introductions had been made and the Warblers had welcomed Kurt to their table (Thad keeping a pointedly hostile silence at the opposite end). "Blaine tells us you're interested in joining the Warblers?"

"Oh, yes," Kurt confirmed eagerly. "When can I audition?"

"As early as this afternoon," David assured warmly. He could see why Blaine fell for him. His enthusiasm was contagious. He had everybody at the table smiling whether they knew it or not, like an infectious joy that nobody wanted to cure.

Well, not everybody.

"Not likely," Thad spoke up sharply. Kurt's face fell, and immediately the rest of the table grew just a little more solemn. "Sectionals are this Friday! There's no way he could learn our numbers in time...Sorry Kurt," he added, not sounding sorry in the least. "Maybe afterwards."

"Our numbers aren't that difficult," Jeff argued.

"Yeah!" Nick agreed, arm around his boyfriend's chair. "All we usually do is sway, maybe meander across the stage a couple times...It's not like we're breaking out in freestyle or anything." The pair of them flashed encouraging smiles at the brunette from where they sat a couple chairs down. Kurt smiled back in thanks. He immediately liked them, especially because their body language indicated that they were an item. It was nice to see an openly gay couple at school.

"And I'm sure you're voice is amazing!" Andrew, one of the baritones, added confidently.

"It doesn't matter!" Thad shot them down angrily. "It's too close to competition to add another member all of a sudden! It'll throw all of us off!"

David, always the peacemaker, raised his voice so that the whole table could hear him clearly. In his calm, authoritative tone, he said, "All those willing to let Kurt audition before Sectionals...?"

Everybody, excluding Thad, raised a hand, some more enthusiastically than others. Kurt looked ecstatic. A triumphant smile flickered on David's face before he quickly wiped it off and addressed his fellow Council member. "It looks like the majority has spoken, Thad...Kurt's auditioning today."

The dark-haired boy sat back down in a huff. If they were in a cartoon, Kurt imagined that he would have had a dark cloud above his head around now.

"Our practice starts right after classes in the Warbler Hall," David informed Kurt, taking his own seat once more next to the newbie. "I'm sure Blaine will show you where to go. What kind of voice do you have? Tenor?"

"Countertenor," Kurt answered at once.

There were murmurs around the table. They were both surprised and impressed.

"Wonderful!" David beamed. "We don't have a countertenor yet...I'm sure you'll be a wonderful addition to our show choir."

"Assuming he passes," Thad muttered quietly. Only the boys with supernatural hearing picked up on it, though. Kurt was still grinning excitedly at his turkey sandwich, too distracted by possible songs he could sing to eat.

He sensed more than saw Blaine come up behind him and slip into the vacant seat on his right. "Hey, what'd I miss?" Blaine asked, sending a quick wink Kurt's way that made his cheeks redden ever so slightly. Wes took his own seat next to David.

"We've agreed to let Kurt audition during practice this afternoon," David informed him, giving him a look that he knew Kurt would miss, seeing as how the younger boy's eyes were still fixated on his boyfriend. Blaine could read his friend's silent message without too much difficulty. He understood that Wes must have already talked to the other two Council members about letting Kurt become a Warbler, and that Thad was vehemently set against it. As was to be expected.

"That's great!" he said, meeting Kurt's gaze encouragingly. Kurt nodded, suddenly nervous. He had never sung in Blaine's presence before. He was confident in his voice, but it was still nerve-wracking to realize that he would have to sell it to everybody in a few hours. There were hundreds of songs he could sing, too. The possibilities seemed endless.

He snapped out of his daze when he felt Blaine's foot brush against his own. He glanced over and automatically broke into a grin, which Blaine returned. He seemed worried, though. Stressed. And all of a sudden Kurt had a horrible suspicion.

Leaning closer, he whispered worriedly, "Should I not have mentioned that you were my boyfriend? I'm sorry, I was just so happy that I forgot-"

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's misplaced fear. "_No_, Kurt, don't you ever worry about that," he reassured, pointedly slipping his hand into Kurt's on the table between their trays. "I'm proud to call you my boyfriend, Kurt. This is Dalton, remember? Nobody's going to harass us here for being who we are..."

Kurt smiled wider than ever, eyes shining. "It's such a nice change..."

"Well you'd better get used to it!" Blaine teased, tickling his side and making him gasp in surprise and laughter, playfully fighting him off. The Warblers watched in mild amusement, most of them pleased to see Blaine so happy at long last. If Kurt was the one to make their leader so cheerful, then they had every intention of accepting him and make him feel at home.

Jeff leaned closer to his boyfriend and murmured humorously, "They're so adorable together it's sickening..."

Nick rolled his eyes and tore his gaze away from the couple. "I'm pretty sure _we_ were that sickening when _we_ first got together, too, babe..."

Blaine, who could easily hear them even though they were speaking quietly, paused to say, "Yes, yes you were..."

Jeff threw a bread roll at his face.

…

**Hmm, I like having Wes around :) Not because I have anything against David. The three of them are totally still bffls...Haha besides, 'Wes' is faster to type that 'David'! Those two extra letters...XP (I'm a lazy butt.) I finally finished the outline for this story, by the by, so that's good :)**

**School starts on Monday for me. I still have to finish my AP Calculus and AP Environmental Science summer assignments, though, so I doubt I'll be able to post again until after school starts up :( WAIT FOR ME MY LOVES! And in the meantime, review with what you think Klaine is gonna do about the whole werewolf sitch ;D I'd love to hear what you guys think/want to happen!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	8. Chapter 8: Audition

**School's started, and it's been keeping me _very_ busy. My classes are hard, but I really like them. Well, not _all_ of them, but most. Anywho, what with college apps coming up, I've had little time for fanfic writing, which is SO depressing I can't even tell you T.T So if you would, please bare with me for a bit longer :) As soon as my academic life settles down, I'll be sure to get right back on track!**

**That's all for now. Enjoy!**

…

Blaine met Kurt outside of his final class (the latter not even questioning how he'd gotten there so quickly), and together they made their way towards the Warbler Hall.

"So?" Blaine urged impatiently, eager to hear his boyfriend sing at last. There was no doubt in his mind he would be great. Besides, it wasn't like the Warblers were formed based on talent. More like their genetics. And, of course, dating the Alpha didn't hurt. "Have you chosen what song you're going to sing for your audition?"

"Yes," Kurt breathed, practically emanating nerves. It was all but tangible to the over-sensitized hybrid.

"What is it?" Blaine pressed when Kurt did not elaborate.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" the younger boy teased. Blaine pretended to be shocked and deeply offended, earning a laugh from the brunette.

They arrived at the Warbler Hall. Blaine was about to reach for the handle, but before he placed his hand on the knob, he paused. Kurt had taken a long, shaky breath. Blaine smiled sympathetically, knowing how stressed his boyfriend must be, and drew him in for a warm, much-needed hug.

"You'll do wonderfully," Blaine assured confidently.

Kurt buried his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. Immediately, the butterflies in his stomach settled down. It felt so natural to be there in his arms.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Blaine then opened the doors and ushered Kurt into the room. There was a scattering of plush couches, lounge chairs, and polished tables. The windows on the opposite wall overlooked the well-tended-to gardens, letting in ample natural light into the already illuminated room. It seemed even more extravagant and intimidating than the classrooms.

Many of the Warblers were already present. They greeted Kurt cheerfully, all smiles, genuinely happy to see him, noticeably perking up at his arrival. This was not lost on Blaine. He led Kurt to a couch and sat down next to him, holding his hand all the while.

By the time all of the Warblers had arrived, a sizable gathering of students had conglomerated out in the hallway, jostling to be closest to the door.

The last two people to appear – Nick and Jeff, with matching expressions of harried embarrassment that told everybody what they'd been up to – stumbled into the room with an "Um, you guys do know that there's a crowd out there, right?"

Wes sighed and went to shoo them away. Kurt was a little unnerved by the mallet he gripped in his hand.

"Why are there people outside?" he whispered to Blaine.

"This is the first time we've had an audition," he confessed with a small chuckle. Immediately, he realized the flaw in that and quickly amended, "Uh, I mean, since the ones at the beginning of the year, of course." He conveniently left out the part where those auditions had just been for show, and that the two other students who'd auditioned as well were politely turned down.

Kurt did not seem suspicious of his slip-up, or else he was simply too distracted to even notice. He just nodded and went back to staring out the window, lips moving almost unnoticeably to mysterious lyrics.

"Alright, let us begin!" David suggested from his spot at the Council table once Wes had returned to his seat. The Warblers shifted in anticipation. "Today, Kurt Hummel will be auditioning to be a new member of the Dalton Academy Warblers. Kurt, you have the floor. You may begin whenever you are ready." He smiled invitingly.

Kurt took a deep breath.

_It's time…_

…

When his song ended, there was a moment of dead silence. Even the birds chirping outside seemed to have fallen quiet. Then, led by Blaine, the room exploded with applause. There were standing ovations on all sides. Even Wes and David, who were doing their best to remain neutral, could not help but grin. Thad was the only one who was not gazing at the countertenor in awe. Even _he_ had to admit, though, that Kurt's voice was something else, something precious and unique. But of course he'd never say that aloud.

"Thank you, Kurt," Wes nodded. "The Council will discuss in private. Until we return, it's free time. Dismissed!" The bang of the gavel signaled the start of break.

Kurt instantly fell into Blaine's awaiting arms.

"You were _incredible!_" Blaine gushed. "I mean, no joke, that was...Wow!"

Kurt laughed, positively glowing in relief. "Good! I was worried it wouldn't really fly, since it's traditionally sung by a female..."

"Are you kidding me?" Jeff came over and sat on his other side, Nick following soon after. "You _killed_ it, man! Choosing a Broadway song...What a classic!"

"Seriously," Nick agreed. "I think this is the first time I've enjoyed hearing a male sing 'Defying Gravity' more than a girl...How do you even _go_ that high, dude?"

Trent joined them as well, along with Flint, Paul, and Andrew. "With a voice like that, I bet you'll be on Broadway yourself someday soon!"

Kurt blushed at all the compliments he was getting. He was not used to being the center of so much praise. It took the stress off, though, sure enough. He was so distracted, talking to the other Warblers about theatre and musicals, that he failed to notice Blaine slip away out of the room, stealthy as a...well, as a wolf.

Outside, there was still a handful of boys lounging in the hall, doing homework or just chatting, waiting to hear the verdict. When they caught sight of the lead soloist, they perked up.

"News?" was all they said.

Blaine chuckled at how interested everybody seemed to be in Kurt's fate. "I'm going to check on them right now," he assured, heading down the corridor towards where he could pick up snippets of the Council members' voices.

Pushing open the door to the classroom, he found what he had expected. All three of them were on their feet. Thad looked like he was about to throw a chair (or possibly something even heavier); Wes was shaking his mallet threateningly in the air; David stood between the two, a warning arm extended out towards each.

"It doesn't _matter_ if he's a good singer!" Thad snipped, doing his best to keep the volume down low. But it was a struggle. If he went any louder, the boys outside would pick up on their argument. And if he got them exposed, there would be hell to pay. "The pack is _far_ more important than the stupid competitions!"

"But the other students heard him!" Wes reminded exasperatedly. His gavel came dangerously close to smashing in David's face. "If we want to keep up the illusion that we're in every way _normal_, then there's no way we could reject him!"

"Guys, keep it cool-" David reminded.

"We rejected those other guys at the beginning of the year!" Thad pointed out.

"This is different and you _know_ it! We rejected those boys in order to keep our over!"

"And how are we supposed to keep our cover when there's a _human_ constantly around, then?" Thad demanded.

"We'll manage-" David tried to pacify.

"In case you've forgotten, our Alpha has Marked him!" Wes reminded curtly. "The sooner you stop referring to him as just another '_human_,' the better..."

David looked up at the Alpha in question with pleading eyes. Blaine pointedly cleared his throat. Wes and Thad automatically fell silent, arms falling to their sides. David lowed his own slowly.

"Is there a problem here?"

His voice was quiet, dangerous. One wrong word would set him off, and they all knew it. None of them dared meet his gaze. The room seemed to quiver with suppressed rage. It was stifling. Suddenly, the argument in Thad left him. He knew his limit, after all, and he did not think keeping Kurt out of the Warblers was worth losing his head. Literally.

"Now, listen carefully," Blaine practically breathed, so calm it was paralyzing. "Kurt is an extraordinary singer – that much is indisputable. If we want to keep away any suspicions, we would be downright _fools_ not to accept him. As to our secret..." He captured the gaze of each Council member individually, and each bowed their head in submission. "He has been Chosen. There's no turning back now. I have found my mate, so you had better accept it already..."

This last part was aimed directly at Thad.

David spoke up, his voice still a little quiet after that display of superiority and power. It was not often Blaine was pushed to the edge like that. "If we need to have a pack meeting, we can easily arrange them outside of Warbler rehearsals. And it will probably be good for him to be around us and feel like one of us, for when he finally learns the truth about us..."

Blaine nodded in agreement. Smiling once more, he returned to the Warbler Hall, leaving behind a room weighted with tension. The awaiting students sat up again at his approach, but he kept his face tauntingly blank and went back inside. Meanwhile, Kurt had noticed his absence. He raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Hey," Blaine murmured innocently, slipping easily into his still-vacated seat. The Warblers surrounding them – the group had grown to include almost all them – tactfully kept talking to one another.

"Where'd you go?" Kurt asked.

"Just checked on how the Council's decision was coming along," Blaine answered with a shrug. The other Warblers immediately tuned in, interested. "They're just finishing up..."

Kurt frowned. "Blaine, you didn't use your status as lead soloist to influence their decision, did you? Because if I get accepted, I want it to be because of my talent, not because I'm dating their lead-"

Blaine couldn't decide if he wanted to kiss him or bow before him. He settled for a brief kiss on the cheek. "_Don't worry_, it was nothing like that!" he lied effortlessly. "I just went to see if they were almost done. Honest!"

Kurt's glare pierced him for a few seconds longer, before he broke into a smile and said, "Well, good, then!" and rested his head on the arm Blaine had thrown around the back of the couch. Blaine was glad Kurt hadn't questioned him any further, because he was pretty sure a minute more of that intense glasz gaze would have been the end of him.

Just then, the Council members filed into the room, accompanied by the mutterings and questions from the hall-boys. Thad looked absolutely dejected, while Wes was practically doing a jig of triumph. Which certainly would have been a sight to see...

"We have voted," David announced, and the room fell hush. "It was unanimous...Kurt Hummel, welcome to the Warblers! Congratulations!"

The room – and the hallway – erupted in cheers.

…

**Looking over my 11-page outline (*le DEAD*), I'm beginning to wonder how long this fic is going to turn out...**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	9. Chapter 9: Sectionals

**I'm officially dead due to stress, so if this chapter isn't exactly up to par, you've been warned! Haha enjoy anyway, and cross your fingers that I don't fall asleep on my AP Calc homework...Because then I'd have limits and derivatives tattooed to my cheek. And that's just SO not cool, bro.**

…

Kurt's high of getting into the Warblers did not last long. Sectionals were fast approaching, and now that they had an "outsider" amongst them, Wes was actually cracking down on their performance. Kurt was a quick learner, though, and it did not take him long to get the hang of their simple dance moves. The songs were even easier. He could practically sing them in his sleep.

"'How're you holding up?" Blaine fretted during one of their brief breaks. He knew that Kurt also had to deal with catch-up work in his classes. He would often stay awake late into the night, finishing assignments or cramming for a test the following day. Blaine knew that Kurt was working twice as hard as the rest of the students. His determination was something to be admired. But it was also something to worry about.

Kurt smiled tiredly, nestling more comfortably into Blaine's side, head falling onto his shoulder. "Don't worry, this is fine. Compared to some of the wilder performances I did with New Directions, these are almost _easy_..."

Thad – who, since Kurt had joined, had done his best to simply ignore him – snapped, "Well, _sorry_ we don't live up to your public high school expectations!"

Many of the Warblers groaned. _There he goes again, pissing the Alpha off..._

But, to everybody's surprise, it was not Blaine that leapt to his feet, but Kurt. There was a sudden fury in his eyes that startled even Thad.

"_What_ is your _problem_?" he demanded hotly. The room rang with his voice. Not another sound dared compete with him. Flint quietly pulled out a candy bar and began to chew, eyes flickering from Thad to Kurt as if following an intense match of table tennis. Wes was too preoccupied with Kurt's outburst to scold Flint for eating during rehearsal. "Have I _offended_ you somehow? Ever since I came here, you've been treating me like I just killed your _dog_ or something!"

Nick snorted.

"Interesting choice of words," Wes murmured.

Thad was dumbstruck, speechless. His mouth wide open, he just stared. Never would he have expected Kurt – a _human!_ – to talk back to him. Before he could find his voice and throw back a retort, however, Blaine stood and gently guided Kurt towards the door, throwing a warning glance over his shoulder to ensure that nobody chased after them. Meanwhile, the Warblers were trying very hard not to laugh at Thad's discomfort.

Kurt heaved a frustrated sigh and slouched against the wall opposite, arms folded. Blaine closed the double doors, leaned beside him, and glanced at the brunette's murderous expression with a tiny half-smile of amusement. For some reason, his boyfriend's anger was keeping him level-headed. It was as if he had taken all the frustration from between the two of them. Blaine smiled affectionately at his (hopefully) future mate and bumped his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay," he tried to soothe. "Thad's...He's not the friendliest fellow on the block. You just kind of have to ignore him, y'know?"

"But he's just so-!" He groaned.

Blaine laughed. "Don't worry, I totally get it."

There was another pause, during which Blaine waited patiently for Kurt to calm down. He listened as the countertenor's heartbeat slowed and his crossed arms slackened.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said at last. "I...I didn't mean to blow up like that. I just...He's always been so _rude_ to me! I guess it just sort of got to me..."

"It's not you," Blaine assured. "Thad doesn't cope well with change..." _Which is the truth_, he reasoned to himself. _Or at least part of it..._

Kurt nodded resignedly.

"Do you think he'll get used to me?" he wondered aloud.

Blaine was not sure if he was actually supposed to answer that one. He pursed his lips, wanting to say something but not sure what. He was torn between wanting to cheer him up and not lie to him. So he settled for wrapping his arm around his waist, kissing his neck, and murmuring, "It _will_ get better. I promise...Just be patient."

And Kurt believed him one-hundred percent.

…

After hours upon hours of intense glee club practice – the Warblers had taken to using Kurt's term lately when referring to Warbler meetings – Friday finally arrived. In other words: Sectionals.

"I actually think we've got a good chance!" Wes enthused. They were all getting loaded onto the bus, a bus far classier than any bus Kurt had taken with New Directions.

"Well I should _think_ so!" Trent remarked from the back row. "We've rehearsed our _butts_ off!"

"My girlfriend's irritated with me for skipping out on two dates this week," Thad agreed morosely. Although Blaine was glad that, for once, Thad was neither obsessing over him nor attacking Kurt, he could not say that he was happy to hear that. He had a strong enough connection to his packmates to understand just how passionately Thad felt for Evalyn. They had one of the longest-lasting relationships out of any the Warblers. And they all really liked Evalyn. She was pretty chill.

"Sucks, bro." Nick clapped a hand on his shoulder as he passed, his other hand latched with Jeff's. "_We_ didn't have a problem..." He shared a wink with Kurt and Blaine, who were sitting together a few rows down, in that 'Team Gay rules' kind of way. But Blaine knew that he was also referring to the fact that the two of them never had to keep secrets from one another concerning the pack. A demon of jealousy speared him from within. He couldn't wait for Kurt to finally know the truth about him. All of him.

"Oh, come on, babe, don't rub it in his face how much better our relationship is," Jeff pretended to scold. Thad sneered in a mock-smile. David smacked both of them on the back of the head, sending them farther down the aisle. Laughing, they slipped into the row behind Kurt and Blaine.

After everybody had piled onto the bus, Wes gave the signal to the driver, and off they went, some singing, some napping, and some just conversing with their seat partners. All of them were trying not to think about what was to come. It was time to prove to the world – and to Kurt – that they could be just like everyone else. Just a normal, ordinary show choir.

…

"Well, we have our work cut out for us if we want to win at Regionals." Wes spoke above the din, beaming around at them proudly. "But for now..."

"It's party time!" David declared, uncharacteristically energetic. The bus went up in cheers. As they pulled into the parking lot, a small crowd waiting in the entranceway ran forward to greet them. Blaine stood to get a better look out the window, grinning. Kurt was dumbfounded. He recognized many of them as the boys who had celebrated his acceptance into the Warblers in the hallway earlier than week.

David came over to hover at Blaine's shoulder.

"Thanks for this," Blaine murmured, lips hardly moving. "Nicely done."

"I _am_ the best," he agreed jokingly.

"What'd you tell them?"

David shrugged. "Just that we'd be going on to Regionals and wanted to celebrate. Andrew got everyone together and made the arrangements. He's the go-to man when it comes to parties, after all..."

Blaine nodded. This was not the first time they'd used a party as a cover-up.

The bus slowed to a stop. David clapped him briefly on the shoulder, whispered "good luck, man," and slipped away. Blaine inhaled slowly, purposefully. He would definitely need the luck tonight. But when Kurt turned from the window to smile brightly up at him, he knew that it was time. He was going to tell him at last. He was going to lay it all down.

_How will he react...?_

…

The party was held in the Senior Commons. There were not too many attendees – many boys had gone home for the weekend, were already asleep, or were out on the town – but there were certainly enough to make the room comfortably crowded. All chairs and couches were occupied, and even then more than half had to stand. There was pizza, chips and dip, and sodas scattered over all surfaces. Music played in the background, but it was all but drowned out by the chatter.

As the night dragged on, the room began to slowly empty. Boys headed off to bed with final parting congratulations to the Warblers. When there were only a dozen or so "others" left, Blaine decided that he could wait no longer.

"Kurt, could you come sit with me?" he requested, hoping he did not sound as nervous as he actually was.

"Sure," Kurt agreed easily, suspecting nothing.

As Blaine led him towards one of the unoccupied couches, he caught the eyes of Wes and David. They immediately stood up and invited the remaining party-goers to a Super Mario marathon in their dorm room. And before Blaine could even come up with a logical back-up excuse, the room was empty. He sighed internally. Sometimes, he wished his life could be so simple...Eat, sleep, homework, video games. Repeat.

"So, what's up?" Kurt said, sipping at his Mountain Dew, hyperaware of how they were the only two left in the room now.

Blaine took Kurt's free hand between his own and began to play subconsciously with those long, elegant fingers. The feel of his smooth skin calmed his racing heartbeat.

"I have something...really big to talk to you about," he tried to explain. "And...I'm really hoping you'll understand."

For a moment, Kurt's expression clouded. "You...You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"No! Oh, god, no!" Blaine panicked, practically bouncing out of his seat in emphasis. He held Kurt's hand even tighter. The thought of letting him slip away nearly killed him. "No, Kurt, _never_..."

Immediately, Kurt's face relaxed back to a smile. He was a little ashamed at jumping to that conclusion so automatically. "Then what is it? Is it bad? Just say it real quick, like a band-aid..."

Blaine nodded. "Kurt..." _Do it. Just do it!_ "Kurt, what do you think of...of werewolves?"

…

**THE TIME HAS COME! :D**

**How do you think Kurt's going to react? Dun dun duuuuuun...Stay tuned for next chapter, where we get to see Blaine's 'furry confession'! Oh, and sorry if you wanted to see Sectionals. It went down exactly the same as in the show, so just go back and watch that episode if you want ;D lol**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	10. Chapter 10: Take Me As I Am

**Next chapter up so fast? That's right. THIS is how much I love you! :D**

**Excuse any mistakes. I'm running off approximately NO sleep, and I've GOT to get this AP Psych outline finished...Who knew Senior year could suck all the energy out of you _this_ quickly?**

…

Kurt's Mountain Dew found the coffee table with a soft clink. He met Blaine's gaze with doubtful, slightly confused eyes. He opened his mouth, closed it, tried again.

"Werewolves?" he echoed. Blaine nodded. "You mean, like, silver bullets and full moons and all that? I- What do you mean? Are you asking my _opinion_ about them? Or are you asking if I think they exist?"

"Oh, I can _tell_ you they exist," Blaine muttered, chuckling darkly. Kurt blanched.

"But- So you mean..." And suddenly, his eyes widened as far as they could go and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Are you...? Are you trying to tell me that _you_...?" But he could not say it.

Blaine nodded once. Just once.

Kurt slid his hand out of Blaine's grasp. Blaine did not resist. The brunette turned himself on the couch, angling forward, eyes staring unseeingly at his soda can as if hoping it would tell him how to react. His ears rang with the heavy silence that had descended upon the room. His brain felt fuzzy with disbelief. He struggled to connect the vicious monsters from the stories with his sweet, caring, thoughtful boyfriend in his mind. He just couldn't. How could Blaine be anything so inhuman?

"Are you scared?" Blaine asked at last, voice gently breaking through his revere. Kurt slowly glanced sideways to him. But, to his surprise, he did not feel the urge to get up and flee for the hills. Perhaps that was because he still did not quite believe it was true. _Or,_ the romantic in him chided, _you just don't care either way..._

"Should I be?" he threw back carefully.

"No!" he blurted at once, holding his hands up in a display of innocence. "_No_, Kurt, we would _never_ hurt humans, _especially_ not you..." _Don't you realize how much you mean to me?_

Kurt's head snapped up. "_'We'?_"

_Crap_, he mentally hit himself. He had not meant to let that slip so soon. He'd wanted Kurt to get used to the idea of Blaine being a werewolf before telling him about the rest of the pack. "Yeah...The rest of the Warblers. We...We're not just a show choir..."

Kurt looked absolutely paralyzed with shock. Only surprise, though. Not fear. _He's not freaking out...Why isn't he freaking out? Most people would be, around now. Right?_ But then again, Kurt had never really been 'most people.'

Meanwhile, Kurt was having a mental panic attack. He would have never suspected that he'd been surrounded by werewolves all this time. The mere thought was inconceivable. _Maybe it's all just some sick joke on the newbie...Or maybe Blaine's psychotic_. At this point, Kurt could believe either theory.

"You're...This isn't some prank, is it?" he frowned suspiciously.

"No!" Blaine insisted once again. He took a deep breath. He had predicted this kind of denial. (Well, he'd first expected him to make a run for it. But this was a close second.) "No, Kurt, I'm being very serious here...Look, I'll show you. I'll prove it." He stood up resolutely. Kurt wanted to tell him to sit back down. He didn't know if he was ready for the undeniable truth to hit him. But he couldn't find his voice to protest.

Blaine moved to a spot in the room farthest from any furniture. Kurt turned on the couch, watching closely, hardly blinking. Blaine took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind. Normally, transforming was second nature – in a sense, it was like returning to his real form – but this was without a doubt the most important transformation of his life. He could _not_ screw it up.

Kurt's eyes were locked on him. He still hoped against hope that this wasn't happening. That Blaine would remain the loving human he'd fallen in love with. But then he saw the changes. And he quite nearly passed out. Blaine's dark hair was growing and sprouting all over his body. His limbs elongated, and he fell forward on all fours. His nails sharpened to claws. And all of this was happening in one brief, heart-stopping moment. Within a few seconds, the transformation was complete, and before him stood a giant, dark brown wolf. It towered above him, probably seven feet tall at the head, with a long bushy tail that looked dangerous to have indoors. It had sharp white fangs and claws the size of Kurt's whole hand. A shiver went down Kurt's spine, and his legs screamed at him to get as far away from it as possible.

But he stayed where he was.

Instead, he stood from the couch, moving slowly, carefully. The wolf watched him intently, gaging his reaction, ears pricked and tail swishing impatiently back and forth. It shifted on its paws when Kurt began to inch forward. He gazed into those large – yet unnervingly familiar – hazel eyes. They held so much emotion within them...Kurt saw the worry, the fear of rejection; he saw the curiosity and need to know what Kurt was thinking; and he saw the unmistakable love and trust.

"Blaine...?" he breathed.

The wolf bowed his head in a nod. Kurt took one step closer, bringing him within arms-reach of the beast. Slowly – painfully slowly – he raised his hand. He let his fingers run through the thick fur of his muzzle. He was extremely warm and soft. Kurt giggled in spite of himself and moved still closer, using both hands now to caress his head, his neck. He buried his face into Blaine's strong shoulder and took a deep breath in. The aroma was entirely _Blaine_. It comforted him.

Blaine turned his head and gave Kurt a playful little lick on his cheek. Kurt squealed and danced backwards, laughing at how puppy-esque he was. Just...a very _large_ puppy. Clearly whoever had made up those nighttime stories about wild, cruel monsters had never met _this_ kind of werewolf. And, of course, he assumed that the other Warblers were equally friendly in wolf form.

There was a low, warning rumble from deep within Blaine's chest. Kurt took a precautionary step back as Blaine returned to his human shape. Miraculously, his clothing returned as well. Kurt honestly did not even question it anymore. After discovering that his boyfriend was only half-human, nothing else seemed impossible. _Magic...It's all magic..._At this point, Blaine could probably have also told him that Santa was real, and he would have believed him without a second thought.

Blaine was watching him with a nervous smile, hands fiddling nervously with his blazer. Kurt used the back of a chair for support. He did not want to offend Blaine, but when it came down to it, he simply could not figure out what to say, how to react, what to believe. It was like Blaine had just thrown into question everything Kurt had taken for a fact. Normally, he would have assumed he was dreaming, but he knew better than that. There was no way his subconscious could think up something so outlandish.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine finally murmured.

Kurt gave a short burst of laughter at the simplicity of the question. He sounded borderline hysterical. "Just _spiffy_..."

Blaine chuckled as well. He supposed that it was a silly question. "I know it's a lot to take in at once...But I don't want to you be scared of me. I want you to understand..."

Kurt took a deep breath and shook his head pointedly. "I'm not scared, Blaine. I'm just...sort of overwhelmed." Blaine nodded understandingly. "There's so much I don't know...! So much to figure out..."

Blaine closed the distance between them and interlaced their fingers. Kurt marveled at how such an enormous creature could return to such an ordinary, yet extraordinary, human form. "Well, then it's a good thing I have answers for you." He beamed.

Kurt smiled back. They sat back down on the couch. Kurt took a long drink from his Mountain Dew before turning to him and half-accusing, half-smirking, "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Blaine Anderson..."

…

**Kinda short, but I wanted to leave all the Q and A for the next chapter :) It'll be nice to finally get everything clarified, for both Kurt and for you lovely readers! It will be up...later. Haha I'm going to visit my top college choice this weekend, so I don't think I'll be able to get another chapter up for another week or two...Sorry sorry! *offers up Klaine cookies in apology* As usual, I hope you enjoyed!**

**Anybody else want some Mountain Dew now...?**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	11. Chapter 11: Answers

**MORE! :D**

**First episode of season 3...What are your thoughts? No, honestly, I'm curious! Personally, I'm very satisfied with the amount of Klaine, but of course they could still improve ;D I'd be happier with a Kliss, you know? They've only had _one_, after all...And, hell, if they're using the Big L Word now, I think that entails some smoochin', yes? XD But now I'm just ranting...So review and tell me what you think!**

**Oh. I should get to the story now, mmh?**

…

"Ask me anything," Blaine invited sincerely. He was still running on a high of realizing that Kurt was not terrified or disgusted by him. He would more than willingly answer anything Kurt asked. It was the least he could do.

Kurt pondered what he wanted to ask first. He decided, though, to stick with the most obvious questions at the beginning. "Are there others?"

"You mean besides the Warblers? Yeah, there are a few other packs all over the world. We're the only one in America, though. The closest one is up north in Canada, but we don't really keep in contact very much..."

Kurt nodded slowly. That made sense; and it would have been worrisome to discover that his entire life he'd been surrounded by werewolves and not ever known it. "And...you guys can- can transform anytime you want, I assume?"

Blaine confirmed it with a nod. "Although," he added, "during the night of a full moon, it's not voluntary. Well, I mean, technically it is, but the-...the _urge_ to transform is strongest then. We've never tried to fight it before, but I suppose we could if we really had to." He shrugged. "We sneak off-campus during full moons and transform in the woods, away from human eyes. And once a month isn't all _that_ bad. I guess it's kinda like a special male period or something..." They both chuckled at that obscure simile.

"What do-..." Kurt took an unsteady breath. "What do you eat, then? I mean, when you're a wolf..."

Blaine knew what he was scared of hearing. "We don't attack humans, Kurt," he reemphasized. "Our pack hasn't hunted humans for centuries. We hunt forest animals – small mammals, for the most part. I know it sounds gross, but it's really not that bad. It's like eating really raw meat for a midnight snack..."

Kurt shuddered at the thought of those poor woodland creatures. He decided to move on from the depressing subject to a new question that was itching to be asked. "Are there any girl werewolves?"

Blaine shook his head this time. Then he paused, thought about it, and gave a little half-shrug. "Sort of," he tried. "In human form, at least, all werewolves are male. But there are Carriers, which are guys that transform into _female_ wolves. They're the ones that can get impregnated." They both looked away at this semi-awkward topic. "Jeff, Nick, Thad, and Trent are the Carriers of the Anderson pack."

"'Anderson pack'?" Kurt echoed.

Blaine groaned inwardly. There was no way to explain this part without coming off as snooty. "Yeah, um...I'm the Alpha of the pack. My father was the Alpha wolf back in his day. As was my grandfather. And my great-grandfather. And my- well, you get the point. And now I'm the Alpha..."

There was a great exhale of breath from Kurt's side of the couch as he sunk back against the cushions. It was one thing to be dating a werewolf. It was an entirely different thing to be dating the _leader_!

"Are you born a werewolf?" he inquired. "Or did you get bitten?"

Blaine chuckled at that one. "It's not like the stories. Turning a human is extremely risky. Wolf bites hurt like all hell, too, apparently. I wouldn't know, I've never been bitten, or bitten anybody else. Although it's been known to happen once in a very long while...Under very special circumstances, though, of course. For the most part, you have to be born a wolf. The enhanced wolf senses peak at eighteen and grow dormant by twenty-five. But even if a werewolf had kids after twenty-five, their sons would still get it." Kurt made a noise of surprise. _That_ had never been mentioned in the stories.

"So any children you have will be wolves, too?"

"Only the sons," he clarified. "Girls obviously won't become wolves, but they'll be carriers of the gene. So if _they_ have a son, he'll still be a wolf. It's called the Grandfather Rule. If the gene is carried for more than one generation, though, it becomes too weak to activate. So if I had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a son, that great-grandson wouldn't become a werewolf. Get it?" Kurt was struggling to keep up, but he nodded quickly. Blaine smiled.

"Everybody else in the pack was born by a werewolf father and a human mother, except Flint, whose mother was a carrier. His grandfather was part of the pack back in his day, though. But Alphas are different...Alphas are born from the current Alpha and a Carrier of their choosing – or a mate, I should say," he quickly corrected. "When the litter is birthed, the pups fight each other – called, for obvious reasons, the Pup Fight – and the last two standing are raised to become the next Alpha. In my case, it came down to me and Gavin. The current Alpha – my father – was supposed to choose which of the two of us would become his successor when he turned twenty-five, but a few months before his twenty-fifth birthday...Gavin died. We were only three years old. So I was the only option..."

Kurt had a hand over his open mouth, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. He thought having babies fight one another was borderline barbaric. And he felt nothing but sympathy for Blaine, who must have gotten a lot of crap for 'winning' by default instead of earning his status. He felt the powerful urge to pull him in for a tight hug. And so that's exactly what he did.

Blaine marveled at how well Kurt was taking it all in. There were no words to describe how relieved he was, how much love he felt for this boy, how astonishing it was that it was _Kurt_ comforting _him_. He wrapped his own arms around the countertenor's thin waist and buried his face into Kurt's shoulder, breathing in his addictive scent.

"This is all so...incredible," Kurt whispered.

Blaine pulled back gently, desperately wishing he could stay there forever. "I'm sorry for dumping all this on you at once..."

Kurt shook his head, falling into a bit of a daze. "No, no, I'm...I'm glad to know the truth. It's just...a lot to come to terms with, y'know? I mean...You, being the Alpha wolf, and the Carriers, and the Pup Fight..." He sighed heavily once again. "I- I think I need to go clear my head."

Blaine nodded. Secretly, he did not want Kurt to leave, but he would not force him to stay. He had to be patient and understanding. He had grown up with all this; for an 'outsider,' this was probably very hard to accept. "Take your time..."

Kurt gave him a quick, reassuring peck on the cheek and got up. Blaine sat there, staring at the doorway long after he'd disappeared from it, listening as his footsteps faded off towards the Main Hall. _He must be heading outside for some fresh air..._His eyes moved almost unconsciously around the room, drifting over the half-eaten chips and pizza, the abandoned sodas, the used paper plates. It suddenly felt very empty.

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Wes and David.

_From: Blaine Anderson_

_He knows!_

…

Meanwhile, Kurt was doing his upmost to stay calm. The air outside was chilly, brushing its cool fingers across his exposed skin. He crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders to conserve heat against the breeze. He had not realized how warm it was in the Senior Commons in comparison. _Or maybe it was Blaine that made it warm..._He remembered the feel of Blaine's soft, soft fur and the heat radiating off him like a fire. Kurt smiled to himself.

_I'm dating a werewolf._ He tried to settle his racing mind, thoughts bouncing off each other like go-carts. _I'm dating the Alpha of a werewolf pack. I'm a member of a glee club comprised of half-humans. I've been hanging out with them for a week without knowing. I performed beside them today! Oh god..._He took a deep breath, leaning against a tree trunk. Somehow, he'd wandered into the woods surrounding Dalton's campus. There were plenty of evergreens, but there were also shades of red and orange surrounding him, clinging to near-bare branches. It was beautiful. _Blaine's hunted little bunnies and raccoons in this forest..._

He forced himself to keep walking, not to get caught up in the gravity of the revelation. _Okay, Kurt, just calm down. It's _Blaine_ we're talking about here. You like Blaine, remember? Maybe even love...I can't let this ruin what we have. I'm not willing to sacrifice our relationship for something like this...I'll just have to deal. So what if my boyfriend can turn into a wolf? So what if he hunts animals once a month with his vocally-gifted pack? I can overlook all that...right?_

In all his pent-up angst, he nearly punched a passing tree trunk. He would have, too, had he not been too worried about making his knuckles bleed.

He was so caught up in his internal debate with himself that he did not hear the approaching body. Only when he heard the snap of the twig, the crunch of fallen leaves, and felt the moon-shadow fall over him, did he whirl around.

In front of him stood a large and unfamiliar chestnut wolf, fangs bared, paws apart, ears back.

Whoever it was, it was _definitely_ not Blaine...

…

**Oh lord, am I cruel for leaving you guys with that cliffy or _what_? Hahaha I hope you enjoyed! Who do you think it is? Review with your guesses! And don't forget to tell me what you think of the new season :)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	12. Chapter 12: Attack

**I'm leaving for Ohio tomorrow, so I promised myself to get this out to you guys beforehand! See? See how much I care about y'all? MY LOVE IS ENDLESS! So wish me luck on my college visit and enjoy this chapter! Just be happy I was able to post it before leaving ;) Because I won't be able to post again for _at least_ a week...Make-up work is gonna kill me. Joy.**

**Oh, before I forget! Everybody guessed Thad, except for one person ****(****dfreakincriss****) who guessed Karofsky. I found that hilarious! Hahaha glad to know what y'all think of Thad...**

…

Kurt screamed.

And, back at the school, fifteen boys' heads suddenly perked up.

Blaine felt his stomach drop like a stone. Without a second's hesitation, he flew out of the room, glad that it was so late. The Main Hall was empty, so he did not even glance around as he burst through the front doors and transformed. He sprinted in Kurt's direction, following the scent he'd become so familiar with. _What is he doing in the forest?_ All sorts of horrific scenarios played out in his mind. Panic pulsed through his veins like poison.

Thankfully, he did not have to go very deep into the woods. However, the position he found Kurt in was nothing to be thankful for. He was backed against a tree trunk, eyes wide with fright, heartbeat pounding loud enough for Blaine to hear it from ten feet away. Another werewolf – not anybody Blaine knew, which only made it a thousand times scarier – was watching him hungrily, fangs out, ready to attack. He was crouched low, clearly having just trapped Kurt against the tree. The countertenor looked positively terrified. With a vicious snarl, Blaine lunged at the stranger just as the lighter-colored wolf made a move towards Kurt.

Oh _hell_ no.

His teeth sank deep into the attacker's thick neck. They rolled a couple times, stopping only when the golden-brown wolf slammed into a tree. The impact caused him to escape Blaine's grasp. Blaine moved in a flash to put himself in front of Kurt, standing at the ready, teeth exposed, the epitome of intimidation. There was absolutely no way he would let anybody hurt his boyfriend. They'd have to get through him first...

The stranger began to pace a little. He was clearly smart enough to realize that Blaine was the stronger and more agile of the two. Blaine moved with him, shifting in order to remain an impenetrable barrier between him and Kurt. Although he could not spare a glance behind him, he could hear Kurt's jagged breathing, feel his eyes on him.

Seeming to throw caution to the wind, the stranger attacked once more. Blaine was young and quick, though; he responded immediately. Kurt watched in horror as the two gigantic werewolves clashed, growling and snarling, a blur of dark chocolate and hazel, teeth and claws flashing, slamming into trees and one another. It was surreal. If Kurt could find his voice – which had left him the moment he tried to run from the unknown wolf and had been easily cornered – he would have cheered Blaine on. But, as it was, he remained mute on the sidelines, praying that Blaine was not hurt. His weakened knees gave out from beneath him, and he collapsed to the forest's floor.

Blaine heard the unmistakable sound of human knees hitting the ground and could not help it – he looked around. The stranger took advantage of this split second of distraction. Claws sank into Blaine's shoulder. He roared with rage and surprise and leapt away. The lighter-furred wolf tried again, but this time Blaine batted him off with ease.

"Blaine-!" Kurt gasped breathlessly. _Oh god, he's injured! Is he alright? Is he okay? I need to help! What do I do? What do I do!_

And then Blaine heard it. The other Warblers. They were coming to help.

_'Blaine!'_ he heard Wes call. _'What the hell is going on?'_

_'Protect Kurt,'_ was his only response, ducking a powerful swing of the paw. Nick and Jeff immediately moved to Kurt's side. Just as Blaine felt the other Warblers prepare to leap into battle as well, though, a noise filled the woods, instantly distracting them all. It was a painful pitch. None of them could move. None of them could even think. Blaine felt like his brain was trying to come out his ears. He flattened his ears against his head in a fruitless attempt to block it out. _What the hell is it?_

And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the noise died away. The wolves looked around in bafflement, fight temporarily forgotten. They were disorientated, confused. Their bemusement only increased when they found Kurt on his feet once more, eyes still wide with fear and surprise, mouth open. He looked as shocked by their reaction as they felt.

The stranger grunted and galumphed off deeper into the forest.

_'Do we chase?'_ David demanded.

_'No,'_ Blaine decided, disgruntled. He would let the bastard go. For now. There were more important things to address. He transformed back to human form and approached the quivering brunette.

"Kurt?" he tried, voice carefully light. "Are you alright?" He did not mean physically; he did not smell any blood on the boy.

Kurt exhaled shakily and instead reached out and brushed his fingers gently over Blaine's arm. "Me? Are _you_ alright? You...You got hurt..."

Blaine frowned down at his left bicep. Now that Kurt mentioned it, his upper arm stung quite sharply. He half-shrugged out of his blazer and found three long scratches running from his shoulder to his elbow. They created a dark stain on his white undershirt. Kurt gasped.

"I'm fine," he assured quickly, pulling his jacket back up to cover the cuts. The navy fabric had been torn, but at least it hid the blood patch. "It doesn't hurt! Don't worry, I'm a fast healer..."

Kurt nodded, but he did not look reassured. "I'm so sorry," he breathed, on the verge of tears now. It hurt Blaine a hundred times more than his arm. He hated seeing Kurt so torn up. He'd been through a lot tonight. Not only had he found out that the Warblers were werewolves, but he was attacked by an outsider. Nobody should have to go through that all at once. Or ever.

"Kurt," he said again, wanting to change the subject. "What...What _was_ that?"

Kurt's hand leapt to his mouth, as if afraid he'd done something wrong. "I- I didn't mean to- I mean, I didn't know- It just sort of came out!"

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Wes asked carefully. The rest of the Warblers had also returned to their normal human forms. Thad and a few of the others were edging in the direction the attacker had disappeared in, as if eager to make chase.

Kurt shook his head slowly. "Nowhere...My- When my mother was still alive, she used to tell me that whenever I was scared, or in danger, I should sing. But I- I couldn't of any lyrics, so..."

"Do you think maybe he's...?" David murmured.

"Yes," Blaine mused. "Maybe..."

"What?" Kurt demanded.

"It's alright," Blaine soothed with a soft smile. "Will you come with me? You're not in trouble, Kurt. I promise."

"O-Okay..." Kurt did not look like he believed him, but he let Blaine guide him away from the Warblers, a hand on the small of his back. Over his shoulder, he couldn't help but add, "Um, you know...For a bunch of giant hybrid wolf monsters...You guys are pretty cool."

Jeff burst into laughter. The rest of them quickly followed suit. Well, apart from Thad, of course.

"Where are we going?" Kurt asked, turning back to Blaine, who had a grin on his face. To him, it was incredible that Kurt could go through all he'd gone through that night and still say something so casual. Never before had he met a more open-minded, accepting person.

He slowed to a stop. "Lima."

Kurt gaped at him. "W-Why?"

"I need to talk to your father," Blaine explained. And, before Kurt could respond, he once again transformed. Kurt leapt back in surprise. Blaine bent his great head, indicating that Kurt should get on. He just stared, though. _Is he serious?_ When Blaine did not move, however, Kurt gave up and moved closer. Using Blaine's right foreleg as leverage, he managed to hoist himself up onto Blaine's back and swing his leg to the other side. His foot brushed against Blaine's wound and he felt him twitch beneath him.

"Sorry!" Kurt gasped. He bent his knees up high. "Are you sure you should be doing this? We could go back to the school and have the nurse check it out...It looks pretty bad...And what if it gets infected or something! I don't want you to bleed to death or something..."

Blaine turned his head around to pierce Kurt with his large, deep eyes. They were reassuring, somehow. Kurt sighed. "_Fine_, fine..." And, entwining his fingers in the fur on Blaine's neck, they set off. Kurt's breath left him. He clung even tighter, knees clamped to Blaine's body for dear life. Trees flashed past at a speed Kurt had not thought possible. He had no idea how Blaine was not hitting anything, but his vocal chords had knotted themselves the moment they set off, so he did not ask. It was not at all like riding a horse. Whenever Blaine leapt over a fallen tree trunk or made a sudden swerve, Kurt feared for flying off. At this speed, if he lost grip, he would probably – definitely – die.

Time was incomprehensible to him. He had no idea how many minutes had passed when he bent lower to speak in Blaine's ear. "How's your arm?"

Blaine barked, and Kurt inexplicably understood that he meant he was fine. He smiled and kissed the crown of the wolf's head. "I'm glad..." The fur was extraordinarily soft against his cheek, and he did not immediately straighten back up. It was very relaxing.

Before he knew it, he was fast asleep on the back of a werewolf.

…

**Kurt is riding Blaine. TEEHEE!**

**Lol sorry, I had to...**

**Also, I don't know if it really made sense, but when in wolf form, the werewolves can sort of talk to each other with their minds. Telepathy, I guess. They can't read each other's thoughts, though. Get it?**

**Next chapter: Blaine's talk with Burt. What do you think will go down? Will Burt whip out silver bullets and try to shoot him? OH MY! I sure hope not...Oh, wait, this is my story. I control what happens...MWAHAHAHA!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	13. Chapter 13: Talk and Tambri

**BACK FROM OHIO!**

**Wrote this at, like, 2am while my roomies were out on the town. And by town, I mean the two blocks of main street this town has...LOL there's really not a lot of town here.**

**SHOUT OUT TO MY FIANCÉ MUSICALESCAPE! *gives you redvines* Love you boo ;D And yes, I think those wedding dresses are perf...Just so long as my veil also gets mega-sparkles! :3**

…

Blaine did not want to wake the sleeping Kurt, but unfortunately it was getting late, and he worried if they waited much longer Burt would already be in bed. And forcing Kurt's father out of bed was not a great way to start this conversation. So, ever so gently, he nudged the unconscious boy with his nose and lowered himself down onto the forest's floor.

Kurt awoke with a jolt, sitting up quickly.

"Oh!" he breathed. "Sorry...Are we here?"

Blaine dipped his head in a nod. Rubbing his eyes, Kurt swung his leg back over and slid off. Before Blaine could stand back up, though, Kurt put a firm hand on his neck. "Wait," he ordered. He bent closer to examine Blaine's left arm. It was well past sundown, however, and he could hardly even make out the scratches through the dark brown fur. "Does it still hurt?"

Blaine snorted – Kurt took it as an 'of course not' – stood, and transformed.

"I'm fine," he promised with faux-exasperation, once more slipping off his blazer to prove it. His white sleeve was a solid dark red now. But the three cuts had stopped bleeding, and were even starting to scab at the edges. Kurt felt a little light-headed by the smell, but he hid it.

"Well, I'm still going to treat it when we get indoors," Kurt informed him. Blaine knew better than to argue when he got that tone. So he just took Kurt's hand and led him out of the woods. They were at the very end of Kurt's street, so they had to walk – briskly, to keep warm in the chill of the night – three blocks to reach his house. The porch light was off, but there was a light on in a first-story window. Kurt checked the time on his phone.

"It's almost ten-thirty," he whispered. "Dad should be heading to bed anytime now..."

Blaine nodded and headed up the stairs. Kurt tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. "Go to the kitchen," Kurt whispered. Blaine raised an eyebrow, but obeyed. It was easy enough to find, even though he'd never been to Kurt's house before. The two of them slipped silently passed the living room – where Burt was absorbed in a football game on his widescreen – and into the kitchen, when Kurt promptly proceeded to pull out a first aid kit. Blaine rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that," Kurt warned.

"I'm fine-" he tried again.

"Sit." Kurt indicated a stool with his eyes, and Blaine made a show of giving in and sitting down in front of him. The blazer was removed and his drenched undershirt peeled off. Kurt winced at the smell. Then, with practiced fingers, he cleaned the scratches and wrapped them in gauze and ace bandage. It only took a couple minutes.

"There. All done," Kurt smiled, proud of his handiwork. "Now we can go talk to my father about whatever it is you want to talk about..." He put the kit away as Blaine dressed himself once more. Then, together, they made their way to the living room.

"Hey, dad," Kurt announced their presence.

Burt jumped in his seat. "Kurt! I didn't hear you come in..." He stood. "Blaine, hi. Good to see you..."

"Same here," Blaine smiled.

"How've you two been?" Burt asked, after gesturing them to the couch opposite. They sat close together, but kept a safe distance between them so as to not make Burt uncomfortable. "You know, with the whole...being together thing. Which I fully support!" he added for Kurt's benefit.

"Thanks," the younger boy grinned.

"We've been well, thank you," Blaine assured.

"So what brings you two here?" was the obvious next question Burt asked. "I didn't realize you would be coming by this weekend..."

"Well, it wasn't exactly planned," Kurt confessed. "Something...happened. And Blaine has something he wants to ask you."

Burt frowned. "Okay...What's up?"

Blaine took a deep breath and looked Burt square in the eye. "Mr. Hummel...Was Kurt's mother the Singer of our pack?"

…

There was silence in the room.

Kurt was the first to break it. "A _what_? What does my mother have to do with anyth-"

"Yes."

Burt looked like that one word killed him inside. "Yes," he repeated. "Tambri is..._was_ the Singer."

"What _is_ a Singer?" Kurt demanded.

Blaine opened his mouth to answer, but Burt beat him to it. "The Singer is a human that alone has the power to handle werewolves when they...when they get out of hand. They sing at a specific pitch that hurts wolves and temporarily shuts down their other senses, confusing them. Sort of like a taming technique, I guess you could call it. There's always one per pack. Tambri was...was the Anderson pack's."

Kurt looked stupefied. "No way...Mom...Mom _knew_ about- about all of this?"

Burt nodded, sadness in his eyes. He spoke to Blaine now. "Tambri died when Kurt was only four. The two of them had been on a walk in the woods and they- they were attacked. By werewolves."

"Wanderers," Blaine mused, remorse evident in his expression. His tone was hard; after what had happened earlier that night, he was getting really sick of wanderers threatening his boyfriend's life. And, speaking of boyfriend, Kurt was looking thoroughly confused. "They're wolves that have either abandoned their pack or were kicked out."

Kurt nodded. Burt looked relieved, as if harboring a secret worry that it had been an organized attack by a pack. "Tambri was so fixated on getting Kurt out of danger that she- she missed her pitch. She couldn't focus enough. When they..." He cleared his throat of imminent sobs. "When she had passed on, they just left Kurt in the tree. To this day, I still don't know why...They certainly could have killed him too if they'd wanted to."

Kurt's glasz eyes were swimming with tears. "I was there...? I was there when...?"

Blaine rubbed his back comfortingly. Burt was struggling not to cry himself. Kurt's mother was a hard topic for both of them. It was even harder, now that the truth was out.

"Y-You knew?" Kurt pressed. "You knew all of this...Why didn't you say anything whenever I mentioned Blaine?"

Burt sighed and cleared his throat yet again. "Anderson is a common name. I was hoping it was just a coincidence." He glanced towards Blaine and added, "No offense."

He shook his head. "No, none taken."

"I just wanted to put it all behind us, son," Burt murmured. "To leave all this- this werewolf stuff and live normal lives!" He sighed heavily once more, glancing at Blaine in a resigned sort of way. "But I guess that's not going to happen...Is it?"

Kurt and Blaine both shook their heads in unison.

"I'm sorry," Kurt muttered, getting to his feet all of a sudden. "I need to- I need some time to think. By myself," he clarified, when he saw Blaine move to join him. "I...I've got to work things out in my head."

He went upstairs, not even realizing that he'd just left his father and his new boyfriend alone together in the living room, the forgotten football still playing, muted, in the background.

A few seconds after the sound of Kurt's door closing, Burt leaned forward and lowered his voice so as to not be overheard by his son. He seemed to have forgotten – or perhaps he never knew – that Blaine probably could have heard him from all the way across the street just as easily. "Why did you do it? Why did you tell Kurt, and drag him into all of this business? Why _him_, of all people?"

Blaine's sigh matched Burt's. There was no point beating around the bush about it. "I-...I, uh, well...As you know, we're dating, and...And, you see, as Alpha of the pack, it's a long-standing rule that I have to Choose a mate." Burt's eyebrows hit the ceiling. Clearly he had _not_ known. "It's not my choice, I swear! I mean, who I Mark is, obviously. But not the timing, or the tradition. Trust me, I would much rather not have to make that sort of decision at such a young age. But it's been that way for centuries. I can't exactly do anything about it..."

Burt seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say. His hands twitched in a way that made Blaine quite sure he wished there was a shotgun in them. "And you...you _Chose_ Kurt as your mate?" And from his frown, it was evident that he was not happy about that prospect one bit.

Blaine nodded solemnly. "I care deeply for your son, Mr. Hummel...I realize that we've only known each other for a few weeks, but...There's something there. Something I've never felt before with anybody. Something much, _much_ more than the basic werewolf-Singer connection." _Which explains why the other Warblers took to him so quickly_, he realized. "And according to the werewolf tradition, I had to Choose somebody by December tenth...That's the next full moon, in case you didn't know." Burt grunted. He hadn't. "But, if Kurt is the Singer...That may change things."

"Why?" the older man pressed.

He pursed his lips. He had already given Burt quite a lot of new information, and reasons to want to murder him in his sleep. He was pretty sure discussing the possibility of changing Kurt into a werewolf as well would _not_ help him out all that much. So he held that in and simply said, "I'll need to talk to the Council about it. They should know that the next Singer's been found. Actually, I'm surprised it took them this long..."

He stood. Burt got to his feet as well.

"I'll be back tomorrow to check on him," Blaine said, deciding it was best not to mention their run-in with the wanderer earlier in the evening. Burt had enough to handle as it was. Making him worry even more was unnecessary. Blaine could protect him. He _would_ protect him.

"It was...good to see you," Burt muttered, not sounding as sincere as when they'd first arrived. Which was understandable.

"Same here." Blaine shook his hand once more and showed himself to the door. He strode casually down the front path and turned down the street, throwing a final glance back at the house. The upper window – Kurt's – was illuminated. He sent him a silent _good night, my love_ before pulling out his phone and texting Wes.

_From: Blaine Anderson_

_Send Nick and Jeff to Kurt's house. I'll explain later._

Without further ado, he broke into a sprint. He hit the woods and transformed, picking up speed, tearing through the forest on his way back to Dalton. Within half an hour, he crossed paths with the two Warblers he'd summoned, and they slowed to meet each other.

_'What's up?'_ Nick asked, panting a little, tongue lolling.

_'Is Kurt alright?'_ Jeff pressed.

_'He's fine,'_ Blaine assured. '_For now. After what happened, though, I'm not willing to take any chances...I don't want him to be left alone tonight. Don't let him know you're watching the house, though.'_

The two wolves nodded in synchrony.

_'Understood_,' Jeff confirmed.

_'Leave it to us_,' Nick agreed, bearing his teeth in a grin. _'If that asshole tries to attack Kurt __again, he's going down!'_

Blaine chuckled and left them to it with a final bark of thanks, once more shooting off back towards Westerville. He arrived on campus a little before midnight. It was well past curfew, and he knew if he tried to enter through the main doors, a hall monitor would be sure to catch him. _'Wes!'_ he called from the shadows of the trees. _'Open the window!'_

He waited for only a moment, until he saw the window in question slide up. _'I hate it when you do this...'_ he heard the Council member grumble. Laughing to himself, Blaine streaked across the courtyard and, using his momentum, up the side of the building. He transformed just as he reached the second story, grabbing hold of the edge of the windowsill as he'd done numerous times before. Wes transformed as well as soon as he saw Blaine arrive and sat down on his bed, watching with a disapproving eyebrow as Blaine clambered in and shut the window behind him.

"Kurt's the Singer!" Blaine breathed, not even bothering for a greeting.

Wes immediately forgot to scold him. His eyes grew wide. "You're sure?"

"Positive. I went and talked to-"

"Hold up." Wes stood and crossed to the wall, hammering on it like a lunatic. "David, get over here _now!_"

As soon as David appeared, Blaine launched into his explanation of Kurt's mother and the circumstances of her death. "I think we need to tell Thad..." David suggested. Blaine automatically grimaced, but knew that there was no way around it. Thad _was_ a member of the Council, after all. So Wes slipped out of the room for a moment and returned shortly with the pale boy in tow.

"Kurt's the Singer?" he demanded at once.

Blaine nodded.

"It's good to have found ours at last," David encouraged. "I was beginning to worry that our Singer would never appear..."

"So...What's your next plan of action then, Blaine?" Wes asked delicately, sinking down onto his bed, watching the Alpha. "If Kurt's our Singer, _and_ a human..."

"It doesn't matter if he's the Singer or not, though," Blaine pointed out. "He's still _male_. And he still has the Birthing Line. Being a Singer doesn't change that." But then he paused. "...Does it?"

"Seems like the universe is trying to tell you something..." said Thad pointedly. Blaine snarled, and he shrank back into his seat. Blaine was not to be tested right now; he was too on edge after the attack.

"I'll figure something out," he murmured, almost to himself. "It _will_ work..."

…

**Longer chapter. Good, yes?**

**P.S. As much as I'm loving season 3, I must say that the gargantuan inconsistencies – particularly in the Klaine plotline – are really starting to piss me off. I mean, really...How the hell is Blaine a Junior all of a sudden? *grumble grumble* Plus, he's being super submissive lately...I don't think I like it...**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	14. Chapter 14: The Park Proposal

**Two chapters in two days? Damn! You should feel HONORED ;D**

**Why do I do this to myself? Can somebody please tell those plot bunnies to stop popping up when I'm trying to study? They're killing my grades with those adorably inspirational noses and ears and tails...(I have no idea what I'm saying anymore. It's late. I need sleep. Just read?)**

…

The next morning, after only two hours of uneasy sleep, Blaine returned to Lima. He swung by Lima Bean for a coffee run and then made his way quickly to Kurt's house. Nick and Jeff emerged from the shadows across the street.

"Thanks so much, guys," he beamed sincerely, handing them two of the four cups he was carrying. They took them gratefully. "Anything happen?"

"Nope!" Nick said cheerfully, chugging the scalding beverage eagerly, looking a little loopy from sleep deprivation.

"There was one instance," Jeff corrected, taking a smaller, more moderate sip of his own coffee and smiling sleepily at Blaine. "Something over in the woods. Sounded pretty big, too, so we were worried the wanderer was back. But when we went to check it out, he was either gone or it had just been a normal woodland animal. Besides that, it was uneventful."

Blaine thanked them both once more and sent them back to Dalton for some well-deserved rest.

…

The doorbell rang.

Kurt, who had just descended the stairs on his way to the kitchen, called sleepily, "I'll get it..." He had stayed up late into the night – well, morning, to be more precise – on the phone with Blaine, asking still more questions, trying desperately to understand the complex new world he'd been thrown into. He was almost scared of hanging up, as if doing so would make it all too real and overwhelming. Blaine did not complain. He had answered all of his questions without protest.

And now he stood there in the doorway, holding two steaming cups of coffee from Lima Bean, grinning. He held one out to Kurt. "Walk with me?"

It was an invitation. Not a command. And Kurt couldn't help but smile. Even though he'd just found out that he was dating a half-human; even though he'd just been attacked by a full-grown werewolf and nearly lost his life; even though he'd just discovered the truth behind his mother's death, and his own destiny as the Singer of the Anderson pack; despite all that, he still felt happier simply seeing Blaine on his doorstep.

"Thanks," he murmured, taking the proffered cup from him. It was a non-fat mocha latte. His favorite. He took a grateful sip. Grabbing a scarf, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. They walked side-by-side down the driveway and headed up the street in peaceful silence. Neither was entirely sure where to start.

"This is so weird," Kurt finally admitted.

"What is?" Blaine asked. "Us?" He felt his stomach drop in fear.

"No! No, not us." He shook his head firmly. "That's the one thing that still feels normal. No, I just meant...A couple days ago, I was so _ignorant!_ When I transferred to Dalton, this definitely wasn't exactly one of the changes I was expecting to have to deal with. I thought my biggest worry would be _Calculus_, for goodness sakes!"

"I know," agreed Blaine apologetically. "And I'm sorry for dragging you into all this..."

Kurt chuckled, nudged his shoulder with his own. "We're _dating_, Blaine, it's kind of hard _not_ to drag me into it...Besides, I'm the- the Singer, or whatever, right? I gotta keep you troublemakers in line..." They grinned at each other. Despite everything that went down in the past couple of days, it still felt completely natural to be together. Their feelings for one another had not changed in the least. If anything, they'd only grown stronger. "But I was wondering...Why did you decide that _now_ was the perfect time to reveal your oh-so-intricate secret? Or the Warblers', I should say..."

Blaine took a sip of his own coffee to buy himself a little time. He had hoped to put this part of the conversation off for a little bit longer. He was not looking forward to confessing his true intentions. "Ah...Well, you see...I'm in a bit of a pickle."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you eat an endangered coyote or something?"

Blaine cracked a smile. "No, unfortunately, nothing that simple...I- um...Well, as you know, my birthday was a couple weeks ago, and I turned seventeen."

Kurt nodded. He had been upset to know that he had just missed it. He always loved planning birthday parties. But if he was lucky, they would still be together for Blaine's eighteenth. And nineteenth. And all the others after that. "Yes...What about it?"

"Well, the day you came to Dalton to, uh, _spy_ on us..." Blaine used air quotations. Kurt bumped him with his elbow, and they both laughed. "That day happened to be the first full moon after my birthday." Kurt knew enough already to understand that full moons were always important. He took another swig of coffee in the hopes of calming his quickened pulse, forgetting that caffeine only increased the heartbeat. "That was the first day of the month-long period in which I, uh...have to Choose a mate."

Kurt nearly spat out his non-fat mocha latte. "Wh-_what?_" His cheeks heated up, even though winter was fast approaching and the morning chill clung to them like cobwebs. His footsteps halted. "M-M-Mate?"

Blaine stopped walking, too. "Kurt, I know it's a really awkward and uncomfortable topic, but-"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kurt shook his head vehemently. "This- I mean, I can't- What-?"

Blaine sighed. _This is going to take a while._ "Come on, let's sit down." They'd stopped a little ways away from the local park. He led the tongue-tied boy over to the swings, and they each sank down on one. Kurt was clinging to his coffee cup as if terrified it was going to turn into a wolf as well. Blaine was a little worried that it was getting to be too much for him. It _was_ a lot to take in at once, after all. "Kurt? Kurt, babe, talk to me..."

Kurt took a shaky breath. "You...have to Choose a- a mate? Within a month?"

He nodded regretfully.

"When...?"

"December tenth is the next full moon."

Kurt dug the toe of his shoe into the wood chippings below, rocking himself ever so slightly back and forth. "That's such a sort amount of time, though..."

"It's...not like I'm expected to find a _spouse_ within a month," Blaine clarified, not wanting him to misunderstand. "Remember when I told you about how the Alpha pup is chosen?"

Kurt sifted through the myriad of new information that had been presented to him within the past couple of days. "Y-Yeah...They- They fight each other, right? The Pup Fight, or something? The Alpha and his mate-" But he broke off. He suddenly realized what Blaine was implying. His flushed cheeks quickly paled. "Oh."

Blaine frowned. "Yeah. Before you came into my life, it was looking like my only four options for a mate were Jeff, Nick, Trent, or Thad. And that wasn't exactly a bright prospect..."

"Are mates a forever sort of thing?" Kurt asked quietly.

"Not usually, no," Blaine assured. He knew that level of commitment would be next to impossible to ask of him so soon. "Remember, most Alphas are normally straight. They impregnate one of the Carriers and then move on with their life. No big deal. I guess being gay just screws up the system...Seems like that's what I'm best at." He was glad to see the smile flicker on Kurt's lips at that. "Alpha mates are usually only for the span of the pregnancy. Although there is a Binding ceremony for those rare occasions when two wolves want to stay together _forever_..." He glanced at Kurt from his corner of his eye and was pleased to see that there was no horror on his face at the concept.

"So...What does this have to do with me? I'm not a wolf, you can't...I mean, we can't..."

Blaine took his free hand – the one not holding the coffee cup – and interlaced their fingers. "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually..." He began swinging gently to the same rhythm as Kurt. Back and forth, back and forth. "You see, I was so taken with you when we first met, that...Well, I know it's totally unorthodox, but...I sort of may have kinda possibly...Marked you?"

Kurt's head whipped around, eyes boring into him. "What does that mean?" he pressed.

"I, uh..." Blaine chuckled uncomfortably. "That song I sang? 'Teenage Dream,' remember? Well, that was when I was supposed to Choose my mate. The rest of the Warblers were _expecting_ me to Choose someone, anyway, and they assumed I'd Choose one of the Carriers. So they were pretty surprised when I sang to you instead...Thad flipped shit."

Kurt exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I can imagine...I must have made quite a first impression on you," he joked lightly.

Blaine grinned. "You have no idea..." He kissed the back of Kurt's hand, making him blush a little. Then he returned to the explanation. "Obviously, the Council wasn't too thrilled that I'd taken to a human. Involving humans always tends to complicate things. But...well, like you said. You made quite the impression on me. I wasn't going to back down on this. So they agreed to let me try and, uh, _court_ you I guess would be the proper term. But if by December tenth I still hadn't been able to win your affections...I would have had to impregnate one of the Carriers."

They both shuddered at the thought.

"So...since you obviously 'won' me...What now?" Kurt's grasp tightened on Blaine's hand possessively at the thought of letting Blaine sleep with another man. Even if it _was_ for the sake of the pack. "Even if we are together...I still can't bare any werewolf children for you." It was the first time in his life Kurt sort of wished he was female. At least for a few months.

"Well, that's what I was getting to." Blaine stopped swinging. Kurt followed suit. Blaine paused, deciding how best to phrase his next question. "Kurt...What would you say to...becoming a werewolf yourself?"

…

**Hmm...I think I'll end it right there, shall I? Just to taught y'all...**

**I want to thank every single one of you for taking the time to read this fic, and fave and alerting it – and me. I'm beyond flattered! I wish I could respond to each and every review I get...Just know that they are sincerely appreciated and always make me update faster! This fic would not be where it is today without all of your love and support. Hearts to all of you!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	15. Chapter 15: Alternative

**As Frances predicted, here's another procrastination-induced update. I seriously need to stop this 'not doing homework' thing...My grades be hurtin'! Lol although I suppose I can live with B's...Ah the things I do for you guys ;D**

**By the by, this is officially the longest fic I've ever written. Excitement!**

**Oh. And werewolf Warblers are called 'wereblers.' Isn't that GENIUS? LOL I felt really smart when I thought it up last night (well, early this morning I guess). Anywho, hope you're enjoying! Read on!**

…

Kurt and Blaine didn't see each other again for the rest of the weekend. Kurt wanted more time to himself to think, process everything and get used to the idea of dating the same creature that killed his mother all those years ago. Not that it was Blaine who'd killed her. But another werewolf...Perhaps the same that had attacked him that fateful Friday night. Either way, he didn't feel up for any socializing outside of his own family, and Blaine completely understood.

Since Kurt had not given Blaine an answer, he returned on Monday morning to Dalton to a bundle of nerves for a boyfriend. Blaine was desperate to know what he'd decided in the end. Kurt smiled and returned his kiss, but said nothing concerning Blaine's suggestion. The Alpha was fairly certain he'd go insane if he didn't find out soon.

The Council had been set against it. Thad was obviously unsupportive of anything that strengthened Kurt's chances of becoming the Alpha's mate, but even Wes and David were uneasy. "It's too dangerous!" was the repeated concern. And, to be fair, the process of turning a grown human into a wolf was a very precise, painful one. None of the current pack members had ever bitten someone, and that inexperience was daunting. But Blaine saw no other plausible way.

Well, he _did_, but it was not appealing in the least.

"I'll do it!" he'd insisted. "I won't hurt him...I couldn't..."

He'd visited his father's house on Sunday in order to pour over the pack's ancient books, filled with history and traditions and rituals. He was pretty sure he knew how to do it in such a way as to ensure Kurt's survival. But even then, the Council was hesitant. In the end, they agreed to wait and see what Kurt had to say. Then they would decide how to proceed.

"So...?" he prodded, drawing the word out playfully to mask his nerves. "Have you thought about it? Do you know...?"

Kurt sighed and adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "I thought about it, yeah...But let's not talk about it here, okay?"

Blaine nodded quickly, not wanting to seem insensitive. But internally a bout of pessimism seized him. Kurt did not look particularly enthusiastic about the concept. _What if he says no? What if he decides to stay human?_ Turning him was the solution he'd pinned his hopes on. If Kurt didn't go for it, he would have to go through with his backup plan, which he didn't even want to _think_ about unless it seemed like the only option left.

He managed to keep from bringing it up again all morning. Kurt was acting torturously normal, smiling and laughing at the Warblers' jokes, taking notes in class, and kissing Blaine goodbye whenever their schedules demanded they separate. On the surface, at least, he did not act any different with his fellow glee clubbers, despite what he now knew them to be. Wes confessed to Blaine during passing period how impressed he was with Kurt's casualness about it all.

During lunch there was to be a Warbler meeting. Blaine knew it had been called in order to hear Kurt's decision and discuss the prospect of Turning him. Blaine all but ran to the Warbler Hall; as it was, he arrived before Kurt. The other Warblers were there, though. The moment he entered, he knew that the Council must have just warned them of Blaine's intention to make Kurt one of them.

"Are you serious?" Flint demanded.

"Do you _want_ to kill him?" Trent frowned.

"Blaine," murmured Jeff sadly, "None of us have ever even _seen_ someone being Turned. It's _really_ risky...Are you sure you wanna take that chance with Kurt?"

Blaine was about to respond, but they fell silent when they sensed Kurt approaching. The boy in question paused in the doorway.

"Ah. Talking about me again, are we?" he recognized knowingly. "Lovely..."

Blaine chuckled guiltily. Kurt's sarcasm was sort of refreshing.

"Do you want to do it?" Nick blurted. "Do you _want_ to be Turned?"

Blaine turned slowly to silence him with his gaze. Nick shrank behind Jeff, apologizing with his eyes. Blaine then returned his attention to his boyfriend. Kurt looked taken aback by the question, or at least by the bluntness of it. He dropped his bag absentmindedly on the couch, worrying his bottom lip as he tried to find the words he wanted to say. After a heavy, breathless second, he addressed Blaine quietly.

"Do they know about my mother?"

"No- Well, yes, but I didn't talk about it with them," he answered, equally hushed, knowing what a sensitive topic it was for Kurt. "But...Yeah, they know what happened to the last Singer."

"Wait, what does he m-?" Nick began.

"Oh my god...!" Jeff breathed, eyes wide with dawning comprehension. It transformed into horrified pity. Kurt hated that look. "Oh jesus, Kurt, I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't even realize-! God, this must be so hard for you...! I can't believe I didn't..."

"What?" Nick pressed. Most of the other boys looked just as confused.

Jeff's sympathetic eyes never left Kurt as he explained. "Kurt's mother must have been the last Singer, guys...Remember how she died?"

There was a chorus of gasps as the connection was made. Kurt avoided all eye contact, not wanting to see their expressions. He was sick of the condolences.

"Yes, my mother was killed by werewolves," he confirmed. Blaine slipped his hand into Kurt's and allowed him to squeeze tightly with suppressed emotion he was not willing to let show. "I- When Blaine first brought it up, I just thought...'I don't want to become the same monster that took my mom away from me'...I mean, I know _you guys_ don't hurt humans but..." He sighed again. "I just...I don't think I could do that. For the sake of my father _and_ my mother's memory..."

Blaine nodded resignedly. To say he was disappointed would be an understatement. But he did not want to pressure him into something he did not want to do, especially concerning something so life-changing. He'd promised himself he would accept Kurt's decision, no matter what it was. _Maybe it's better this way_, he tried to look on the bright side. _This way Kurt won't go through such a dangerous procedure. And we don't even know what would happen if we Turned a Singer...The books didn't have anything on that. Perhaps it's best not to take the risk after all. I don't want to put Kurt in danger._

But this meant he would have to do what he'd been afraid of.

"In that case, I have an announcement..." The Warblers turned their attention to the Alpha. He looked around at all of them individually. Sadness overwhelmed him as he forced himself to voice his own decision. "I've recently come to realize that there is an alternative..." He paused, gathering himself, praying he did not cry. The were-boys shifted in their seats; they could sense bad news approaching. Kurt held his hand tighter, clueless as to what he was scheming but recognizing that it would not be pleasant. He gave a watery smile.

"I'll be going through the Extraction at the next full moon..."

…

**I know this chapter's really short. I wrote it ninja-fast instead of cramming for the SAT tomorrow...What is the Extraction? What is Blaine up to? You'll have to wait another chapter to find out! Let the cliffhanger rage reviews come a-flowing xD**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	16. Chapter 16: Kellan

**Longer chapter to compensate for the sporadic updating? Yes.**

**Am I getting boring? Lol I feel like this is my mid-fanfic crisis or something...Maybe I'll switch it up. OH I GOT IT! A COMPETITION! That always spices things up, yes? Alright, here goes:**

**The first two reviewers to guess which _two holidays_ will be included/referred to in this fic will get to decide which New Directions members (two each) will be included exclusively in later chapters. Ex: the first reviewer to guess them right might choose Finn and Puck, and the second reviewer to get them right may choose Mercedes and Santana. In which case those four characters will have actual parts in the plotline apart from the occasional mention of the New Directions as a whole. Capish? If you have any questions, feel free to review or pm me :)**

**Aaaaaand...GO!**

…

Automatically, the room exploded in an uproar.

"No!"

"You can't do that!"

"Are you insane?"

"Don't do it!"

"That's too extreme, Blaine!"

"There are other solutions!"

Blaine held up his free hand and waited calmly for them to quiet down. He could feel Kurt's gaze on him, silent questions emanating from him. Kurt had no idea what the Extraction was or what it entailed. All he knew was that the Warblers were adamantly against it, which meant it was either painful or dangerous. Or both.

"I've already decided," he apologized levelly. He shifted closer to his boyfriend. "If it means staying with Kurt...I'm willing to become human myself and lose my status as Alpha. I...I couldn't bare to be with anybody but Kurt anymore. Not even for a second. If Kurt can't be a wolf, then neither will I." His broke on the last word.

Jeff stepped forward. He had sad, angry tears in his eyes. "I can't decide if that's romantic or just plain stupid..."

"It's stupid," Trent opined bluntly.

"But I get why you want to do this," Nick put in seriously. "If I was in your position...I think that's probably what I would do too..."

"But, Blaine..." David spoke up. He sounded so hurt, like he'd been betrayed in some way. "You're our leader! You can't just...I mean, are you sure about this? One hundred percent _sure_ that you want to give everything up?"

"I don't _want_ to," he clarified, pained, desperate to make sure they understood that this was not his first choice, but rather his _only_ choice. "But I don't want to be unfaithful to Kurt, either, even if it _is_ for the sake of the pack. And, to me, Kurt comes first. Always. So if staying the Alpha wolf requires me to sleep with somebody else...I can't. I just can't. I'm sorry..."

There were nods of grudging acceptance. They saw that Blaine was serious about this.

Kurt's grip on Blaine's hand was almost cutting off circulation at this point. The older boy glanced over at Kurt questioningly, wondering what he was thinking, how he was taking it. To his surprise, Kurt looked even more torn than when he'd first brought up the prospect of Turning him. He bit his bottom lip. Blaine had thought he would be happy that there was another way for them to stay together. But clearly this news only made the brunette more distraught.

"Blaine, I can't-!" he began.

But all of a sudden, an unwelcome presence caught the wolves' attentions, and Blaine silenced him with a gentle hand at his lips. He glared unseeingly at the door, listening to the approaching footsteps, muscles tensing. He recognized that scent. "What?" Kurt breathed against his fingers, panicked by how still and alert the Warblers had just become.

Blaine grabbed his thin arm and hurried him to the opposite side of the room, farthest from the door, placing himself in front and fighting his instinctual urge to transform. The others all stood and watched the door in anticipation, each just as ready to pounce into action as the next.

With a daunting creek, the double doors swung inwards.

An older man stood there on the threshold, clad in ragged attire that made him look homeless. His hair was a knotted and untamed nest of golden-brown, his eyes a piercing green, his face tan and unshaven. He was clearly nearing his twenty-fifth year of werewolfhood. Even in human form, they knew him for what he was – the same wanderer that had attacked Kurt last Friday. And they were not about to let him get a second chance. The only reason Blaine did not order them to attack at once was curiosity. _Why would he come here as a human, knowing all of us would be here to protect Kurt?_

"What do you want?" Blaine demanded sharply.

The man blinked at him calmly. "You are the Alpha, I assume?" Blaine nodded once. "Of course. First off, let me assure you all that I am not here to hurt anybody. Especially not that human over there..."

Blaine shifted to hide Kurt from sight. The countertenor leaned to the side, however, to get a better look at the stranger. Blaine realized that Kurt probably had no clue who he was. "Kurt, this is the wolf that attacked you last week..."

There was a sharp intake of breath from behind him.

"I am here to apologize for that," the man declared quickly, hands raised in surrender. He spoke directly to Kurt now. "It will not happen again. You just smelled so much like Tambri..."

Kurt gasped. "You knew my mother?" he pressed, startled and intrigued.

He nodded. "So she was your mother, then? I guessed as much, but I wasn't positive...Yes, I knew her. Sweet woman, Tambri was. I met her once or twice when I was still a boy; she was older than me, of course, but that didn't matter. She was always so nice to be around...All Singers are, at least for wolves...Her- Her death was a great loss."

Kurt nodded silently.

"Then why did you decide to attack the son of somebody you claim to have liked?" demanded Blaine hotly.

He shook his head, regret clear in his emerald eyes. "The scent of a Singer drove me...temporarily insane, shall I say?" He paused, then went on. "I used to be the Alpha of the Canadian pack." There was a stirring among the Warblers; this was certainly news. "I was removed from my position and exiled from the pack when I fell in love with our own Singer."

Blaine was beginning to relax his stance. It did not seem like this man was going to attack them after all. And besides, he was fascinated to hear this story. _Perhaps he knows more about Singers!_

"What's your name?" Kurt inquired.

"Kellan. Kellan Cambridge."

"Why were you kicked out because of that?" Jeff spoke up, clearly just as interested as Blaine and Kurt were.

Kellan sighed and sank into the closest chair. Flint – the one closest to the doors – edged sideways to close them. Gradually, one by one, the wolves began to retake their seats. "It wasn't so much because I fell in love with her...It was because she died." Kurt's hand flew to his mouth in shock. "I- I wanted to be with her. But the rest of the pack was against it. For obvious reasons," he added evenly. "But at the time I couldn't see the logic behind their defiance. I was so desperate I tried to Turn her, forgetting that-"

"Females can't handle the gene," Nick finished for him. Sympathy and compassion were written on all their faces now. Blaine's in particular, because he could relate to Kellan. He knew what it was like to have the position of Alpha interfere with love.

Kellan nodded. "Exactly. And when she died...I left. I traveled all over the continent researching Singers and werewolves. Someday, long after I loose my powers, I'm going to put everything I've learned into a book for all the packs around the world to read. I don't want anybody to go through what I went through...It's worse than hell itself."

There was a moment of silence while they all absorbed his story.

"So if you know so much about Singers..." Blaine asked, "Do you know if they can be impregnated and birth wolves?"

"You mean if they're Turned?"

"Yeah..."

Kellan's intense green eyes flashed to Kurt, who blushed heavily. It was clear that Kellan was quickly figuring out what their dilemma was. "Yes," he confirmed after a moment. "So long as they have the Birthing Line, and are werewolves at the time of conception, they'll have a normal werewolf pregnancy, just like any other Carrier. If I were you, I'd be much more worried about the actual Turning ceremony than the births."

"Wait- a what line?" Kurt asked.

"He has one," Blaine informed Kellan, beaming at this news. He took Kurt's hand in both of his and traced the telltale crease on his palm. "See this line here? This is the Birthing Line. It indicates when a guy is – or could be – a Carrier."

"Excuse me for prying, but...are you seventeen, young Alpha?" Kellan wondered.

"Blaine," he introduced himself. "Blaine Anderson."

Kellan nodded. "Pleased to meet you."

"Yes, I turned seventeen a couple weeks ago. This is Kurt, my boyfriend..."

"I assumed so, judging from the way you leapt to his defense last Friday night," Kellan smiled a little. He did not seem at all perturbed by their homosexuality. Kurt supposed that being a mystical creature probably made him pretty open-minded. "Let's see, the next full moon is..." He thought for a second. "December tenth, right? That gives you about a week and a half. Have you already Chosen Kurt?"

Blaine nodded. But then he recalled what Kurt had decided. "But it doesn't matter," he confessed, slipping an arm subconsciously around Kurt's waist to reassure him that it was alright. "Kurt doesn't want to be Turned, and there's no way I'm going to sleep with somebody else. So I'll be going through the Extraction instead."

Kellan's eyes widened. "You know about that? Oh, my boy, that's a _very_ dangerous procedure! Far more so than the Turning..."

"That's what we said!" Jeff agreed.

"That's some dedication you have," Kellan mused, smiling at the couple enviously. "I sincerely hope it works out for the two of you...But I'm afraid I must be going now. I'm staying with a friend in St. Paul tonight, so I'd better get moving if I want to make it there before nightfall. It was good to meet you, Blaine Anderson. Kurt." He stood and crossed the room to shake both their hands. "Sorry, again, for attacking you. I'm usually much more confined, I can assure you..."

Kurt laughed a bit. "It's fine, I wasn't hurt. Although Blaine got quite a scratch..." He glanced at his boyfriend. "But apparently you wolves have some super-healing abilities. So I suppose I can forgive you..."

Kellan said his final farewells to the rest of the Warblers and departed. There was a curiously heavy silence that befell the group upon his leave. Kurt looked even more conflicted than before. Blaine tried not to show his disappointment when he remembered that Kellan's reassurance had been for naught. They wouldn't be bearing any pups together. Now he just knew that they _could_ have. They'd been so close to becoming mates. Now he would have to leave the werewolf world behind. _Kurt's worth it, though_, he reminded himself with a small smile of resolution. And he was. Blaine knew that he would not regret anything he did, if it meant being with Kurt. He would do whatever it took.

"Blaine..." Kurt muttered. "I-..."

And Blaine knew what he was thinking about. "Don't worry about it. There's no pressure. I already told you – I'll go through the Extraction. It's alright..."

"But I don't _want_ you to go through that!" Kurt bemoaned. He grabbed Blaine's hands, eyes boring into him, magnetic. The Warblers respectfully ignored them in an attempt to give the couple a bit of privacy. (Well, Thad continued to glare, but that was so normal lately that it wasn't even noticed.) "Kellan said it was dangerous, Blaine! And I know he nearly killed me and all but...I trust him. I believe what he said. And, I mean, if I was a wolf, I'd be a- a Carrier, so-"

"It's not a matter of what you _could do_ for me," Blaine insisted. "It's about what you're comfortable with, what you _want_ to do. I'm _not_ going to force you into such a drastic change. I'd much rather become human myself than have you go through something you'll regret."

"You know, Blaine could always just mate with one of us Carriers..." Thad threw out once more with faux-innocence that made Kurt grind his teeth together. "Blaine would stay the Alpha, and you two would keep dating like the sickeningly adorable couple you are, and everybody would be happy. It's a win-win situation, really!"

Blaine exhaled sharply through his nose. "Thad, for the last time, this isn't just another duty to the pack! Sure, it's no big deal for you – you're straight! But sleeping with a guy means something a little different for me. I will _not_-!"

"I'll do it."

All heads in the room turned towards the brunette. He looked timid, yet surprisingly determined. "I'll...I'll be Turned," he clarified.

"Are you sure?" Blaine pressed breathlessly, hardly daring to hope. "I mean, don't feel obligated to just because I-"

"I'll do it," Kurt repeated, voice even stronger, more assured. He gave his signature little half-smile. "I don't want you to have to lose your position – and I know that _you're_ willing to, but _I'm_ not willing to _let_ you – and I'd much rather just become a wolf myself. Then there's no problems, right? You'll get your Alpha pups, and we can be together?"

"Kurt, I..." Blaine choked up, so overcome with emotion he couldn't even get the words out.

Kurt realized this and smiled even wider. "You'll have to teach me your ways, though, I'm afraid...I'm not going to have a very good idea what-"

He was cut off by Blaine lips on his. Blaine could not verbalize just how grateful and excited he was and how much he loved Kurt in that moment, so instead he expressed it with a passionate kiss that took both their breaths away. The outside world melted away. If they'd been aware of their surroundings, they would have heard the catcalls and whistling.

"You're incredible," Blaine murmured sincerely, caressing his cheek. Kurt was beaming now, eyes ablaze with confidence in his decision. He knew it would be difficult, and there was a lot he still did not know about Blaine's world, but if it meant keeping Blaine safe and having him all to himself, he was willing to be Turned. The thought of him going through a painful ritual to 'extract' his powers was too risky to allow. When it came down to it – between letting Blaine suffer or getting over his own opposition – it was not a hard decision to make.

Meanwhile, Thad sat back with crossed arms, mind fast at work. He was not going to let Kurt become Blaine's mate. He would bear those Alpha pups if it was the last thing he did...

…

**Kudos to whoever noticed the Katy Perry reference in this chapter ;D**

**I know the Kellan thing is kinda hard to buy – I mean, if _I_ was attacked by a stranger, I definitely wouldn't believe anything he said! But just give me this one, guys? lol**

**Good luck to you all! Come on, just guess a couple holidays, what does it hurt? You may just end up winning! :D lol _be imaginative_...(p.s. If you guess 'Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day' I'll love you forever, because that's my birthday! xD Who cares if it's not a national holiday? It SHOULD be!)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	17. Chapter 17: Bonds

**Wow guys, thanks so much for all your guesses! :D Some of them were really funny...My favorite was Ninja Day, which is apparently on December 5th...Thanks, HappyEmoness! I loved having you guys participate. It made writing fics much more interactive.**

**WINNERS: **_Cutiepi97_** and **_Sweet Clementine_**, (both of whom asked for Brittany and Santana)! Congrats! Brittana will appear later on! I'm really glad you two picked them, because they're my second-favorite pairing :D**

**And, since they both asked for the same characters, I've decided to also do second-place winners for people who guessed one out of the two: XxWithBrokenWingsXx (who got both right, actually, but was 3rd in guessing), MusicalEscape, njferrell, ptirobo, and MaddHatter10x6. You guys all get to review with a line/phrase/word that you want me to use. Doesn't matter how outrageous it is! The stranger, the more of a challenge to fit it in. And I love me some challenges...lol and XxWithBrokenWingsXx, you can include WHO you want to say it, since you guessed both holidays. Be creative, guys! :D**

**Alright. AN is getting as long as the chapter...I shut up now, yes? Yes.**

…

In the second week of December, the Council got wind of a small group of wanderers in the forests surrounding Dalton. And by 'got wind,' Blaine knew they meant that one of them legitimately smelled them on the wind. His mind automatically leapt to Kellan. Wes must have known what he suspected because he assured him that the ex-Alpha was not among them.

"What shall we do?" David asked.

Blaine took a second to deliberate. "We'll meet with them tonight. Just to talk," he quickly added, mostly for Kurt's sake, who looked like he was about to protest. "I don't want any violence unless it's absolutely unavoidable."

"It's strange though, isn't it?" Jeff mused aloud. "We don't get any other werewolves in our territory for over a decade, and then suddenly two different sets come by within a month?"

"Wait, I'm confused," Kurt confessed. He turned to Blaine, but the question was open to everyone in the room. "I thought the only werewolves in North America were the two packs – this one and the one in Canada! Where are all these wanderers coming from?"

"That's correct," David confirmed with a kind smile. Sometimes Kurt seemed so relaxed along them, like such a natural, that they would forget he was still an outsider.

"Wanderers are rare," Blaine explained. "They only occur when a wolf's been exiled – or has left voluntarily – from his pack. Like Kellan. And since we haven't had anybody leave the Anderson pack in four generations, it means all of these wanderers are coming from the Canadian pack."

Impressively, it was Kurt that said what the others were thinking but unwilling to verbalize. "What the hell's going on with that pack, then?"

Blaine sighed. "I haven't the foggiest. Like I said, we don't really keep in contact. But I guess I'm going to have to change that soon..."

…

Kurt was still a bit uneasy about Blaine and the Warblers – but mostly Blaine – going to meet the strangers. His own experience with a wanderer left him cautious, suspicious. But Blaine seemed confident that there would be no violence.

"I'll be back soon," Blaine promised, kissing his forehead. Sunset had fallen, and the Warblers had met in the Senior Commons, which was empty due to the hour.

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" Kurt chuckled half-heartedly. "I _am_ the Singer, after all..."

Blaine, to Kurt's surprise, hesitated. He did not want to drag Kurt into any danger and, despite his assurances, there was always a chance. On the other hand, his Song had already helped them out once with a wanderer. It would very likely keep a full-on brawl from breaking out this time, too.

"He has a point," Wes confessed.

"And you said there wouldn't be any fighting, so it's not like you have to worry about that," David added. Blaine frowned at their identical smirks, knowing that he could not back out of this one. There was no valid reason to leave Kurt behind, apart from Blaine's natural instinct to protect him.

"Alright, fine," he allowed. He turned to his boyfriend. "You're okay with coming with us?"

"Of course!" he said immediately, glad of the excuse to join them.

Blaine grabbed his hand and led the way out of Dalton – through an open first-floor window. The group hurried quietly across the football field into the woods north of campus where the Council had smelled the wanderers' presence. Kurt was nervous but did not show it. He did not want to seem vulnerable. When they were deep enough into the forest, they slowed to a stop and waited, eyes alert, ears taking in all the nighttime noises around them.

"Here they come," Blaine murmured, for Kurt's sake.

The Warblers obviously saw them coming before Kurt did. He had to swallow a gasp – he had forgotten just how _large_ werewolves were. Three looming black shadows were weaving towards them between the trees, gradually taking shape. Kurt saw the flash of teeth, of claws, of bright, alert eyes. He knew everybody could probably hear his heartbeat thumping against his ribcage and tried to focus on his breathing to calm it down. Blaine's arm tensed beside him; they were standing so close together their shoulders were basically attached.

The black wolf in the middle rumbled. Kurt did not understand him, but the rest of the Warblers seemed to comprehend it anyway.

Blaine stepped forward. Kurt resisted the automatic urge to pull him back, not liking the separation between them, however minute. "I am Blaine Anderson. Alpha of the Anderson pack. And you are?"

The wolves exchanged glances, clearly having their own private conversation, before coming to an agreement and transforming to human forms. The one in the middle and on the left looked to be in their early twenties, but the one on right seemedyounger, closer to the Warblers' ages. All three of them appeared to be hesitant, though. Suspicious.

"My name is Ryan," the young man in the middle – clearly the leader of their little group – introduced. He had a mess of straight black hair and sharp green eyes that reminded Kurt of Harry Potter. "This is Jim" – he gestured to the young man on the left with a golden-blond buzz cut – "and Daniel." The younger boy was timid, his long red bangs partially hiding his chocolate-brown eyes, no doubt intimidated but the number of strangers appraising him.

"Pleased to meet you," Blaine nodded politely. "And, I mean no offense, but what would you three be doing here in Ohio?"

Ryan immediately turned defensive. "What, are we not allowed to be here?" he snapped. "Can't pass through? Afraid we'll infect your pack with our-"

"Ryan." Jim put a firm hand on his elbow, but his voice was calm, level, smooth as butter. He reminded Kurt of David in that sense. The countertenor noticed a few Warblers shifting where they stood. The entire forest was thick was tension. Jim turned to Blaine with soft, calculating gray-blue eyes. "We mean no harm to your territory or pack, Mr. Anderson. We are merely passing through. We are no longer welcome in Canada and request consent to remain here in America."

On Ryan's other side, Daniel nodded emphatically but still said nothing.

"Of- Of course," Blaine allowed, startled by how calmly Jim spoke of their exile from their homeland. "Stay as long as you'd like. But why...?"

They knew what he wanted to ask. "Rick is a bastard," was Ryan's blunt answer, glowering at Blaine, although the Alpha understood that it was not meant for him but rather for this 'Rick' he spoke of.

"Who is Rick?" Wes inquired carefully from behind Blaine.

"Our Alpha-" Jim clarified.

"_Ex_-Alpha," Ryan growled. His fists curled. "We _have_ no Alpha anymore..."

And, to Kurt's astonishment, tears began to gleam in the short-tempered man's eyes. Jim wrapped his arms around him and drew him close, whispering calming words of comfort that Kurt could not quite pick up on. He was surprised; he had not realized how strong a wolf's bond to his Alpha must be. He wondered if the rest of the Warblers were as connected to Blaine, and if they would be this lost and broken should that connection ever be severed. _I already feel so close to Blaine...Is it possible becoming part of the pack will strengthen that bond even further? _He made a mental note to ask Blaine about it later.

As Jim soothed Ryan – Kurt was glad to see another gay couple within the werewolf world – Daniel took a hesitant step forward to explain. He had a breathy, quiet voice. "Our-...Rick is the new Canadian pack leader. He...He didn't approve of Jim and Ryan's relationship. And he- he kicked out our old Alpha, Kellan."

"Yes, we met him," Blaine confirmed.

Ryan perked up at that. "You _did? _When?"

Blaine nodded. "He passed through here not long ago..."

All three Canadians looked very relieved by this news. "That's great to hear..." Jim beamed. "He was a better Alpha than Rick by all means...But, unfortunately, our opinion was the minority. The rest of the pack agreed with Rick."

"Lowlife cowards," Ryan muttered darkly. Kurt shivered.

"And you left because...?" Blaine inquired of Daniel, who flinched under the Alpha's steady gaze. Kurt felt the urge to just give him a big hug.

"I- I didn't-" he stuttered. "Jim's my brother," he finally got out. "When Rick kicked him and Ryan out...I didn't want to stay. He hated me already because he thought I was too weak. I knew I'd be better off anywhere but there."

"It was hard to leave our hometown behind," Jim mourned solemnly. "But we've gotten by."

"I'm sorry for your sufferings."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Ryan's green eyes flashed with rage.

"We don't need your sympathy!" he bellowed, stepping forward.

Kurt sensed the reaction immediately. All of the Warblers tensed, dropping into offensive positions, expressions hardening. He could feel more than see their impending transformations. Teeth were bared, fingers curled. His eyes flew wide with panic. _Not a fight! Not now!_

"Ryan, _don't!_" Jim was holding his partner back by the arms. Daniel's expression was a mirror of Kurt's – fright. Not so much fright for self-preservation, but fright of any violence breaking out.

"Just because we're wanderers doesn't mean you can look down on us!" Ryan shouted at Blaine, eyes piercing.

"That's _not_ what he meant!" Wes snapped back hotly. "You'd do well to control your temper before it gets you into trouble!"

"I was _exiled!_" Ryan all but screeched. "What do I have to lose!"

Kurt glanced down the line of Warblers, on the verge of transforming, and breathed, "_Don't_."

He did not know what made him do it. All he knew was that suddenly, the Anderson pack was relaxing. Fists were uncurled, glowers dissipated. They glanced around at one another, bemused. Blaine was the first to look to Kurt. He seemed to realize what had just happened before the others did.

Seeing that the pack would not attack, Jim sighed heavily and stepped in front of his still-seething boyfriend. "Please forgive him...We've been through quite a lot and...he isn't normally..."

But Blaine was smiling now. "You don't have to explain. If you'd like, we'll help you find a place to stay for the night."

"I'll do it."

Kurt was not the only one that was shocked to see Thad stepping forward.

"Are you sure?" Blaine checked, hiding his surprise.

He nodded once. "Go on. I'll be sure to get them to a nice hotel nearby..."

Blaine shrugged. "Alright." Glancing back at the wanderers, he said, "It was nice to meet you. Good night," and turned to head back to Dalton. Kurt gave a tiny smile and quickly followed him.

"Thank you..."

The tiny voice in which Daniel spoke was almost too quiet for Kurt to hear, but Blaine caught it with ease. He flashed a wide smile back at him but kept walking. His arm found its way around Kurt's waist. The rest of the Warblers retreated after them, leaving only Thad behind. The Council member waited until they were well out of earshot before returning his attention to the wanderers. Daniel's eyes widened at his leer.

"I have a bargain to make with you three..."

…

"Blaine...Tell me about the Alpha connection..."

"Hmm?" Blaine lifted his head to glance down at him. Kurt tilted his head up to meet his gaze. They were snuggled up close to each other on a couch in the Senior Commons, simply watching the fire flicker and enjoying one another's company. It was well past curfew, but Blaine could hear anybody coming from all the way down the hall. If a hall monitor came to check the room, they'd have plenty of time to hide.

"It seems like wolves have some sort of bond with their leaders," Kurt expanded.

"Oh, that..." Blaine smiled. He was happy to see Kurt noticing things like that. "Yes. There's a certain 'bond,' as you say, between an Alpha and his pack. In general, they feel a deep-seated loyalty and respect for the Alpha, and in return the Alpha feels a powerful instinct to protect and look after the pack's best interests. When a wolf is exiled – or leaves on his own will, like Daniel – that bond is severed. It's apparently very emotionally painful. I imagine it feels something like what I'd feel if _you_ ever left me..."

Kurt shivered at the thought and curled in even closer against his chest. Blaine's arm tightened around him. "I'm not going to," he promised quietly.

There was a moment of comfortable silence, in which Blaine's thumb ran up and down Kurt's shoulder. After a while, he added thoughtfully, "You have a bond with the pack, too, you know..."

"I do?"

He nodded. "The Singer has his – or her, if the case may be – own connection to the members of the pack. Don't you feel it?"

Kurt thought for a moment. He did feel _something_ with them...Something he had always just assumed was due to finding out they were only half-human. But now that he actually thought about it, he realized that it wasn't just unease, or awe, or friendship. It was the unnatural awareness of their emotional states. More specifically, he could tell when they were on the brink of losing it, of fighting. "I...I sort of want to start Singing when you guys get too feisty..." He blinked and turned to Blaine. "No, wait, I didn't mean it that way! That made it sound weird..."

Blaine burst into laughter. "Don't worry, I get it. You want to stop a fight before it breaks out, right?"

"Exactly."

Blaine nodded encouragingly. "That's the Singer's bond! And we, of course, in return, naturally feel calmer around you, more in control of ourselves."

"Really?" Kurt was intrigued; he had not realized that.

"Yes. Whenever you walk into the room, we become just slightly less tense. And it's especially useful in situations like tonight's..." He leaned forward and rested their foreheads together, gazing into Kurt's eyes with gratitude and amusement. "We feel this subconscious desire to avoid your Song if at all possible." He laughed again at Kurt's expression and quickly amended, "No offense, no offense! It's just...Losing power over our own senses terrifies us. We want to avoid that...Surely you understand that."

"No, I do," Kurt assured. "So...When I'm around, you guys are less likely from getting violent?" He suddenly felt very important and useful for the pack.

Blaine grinned, seeing that in his eyes. "Precisely. I can't wait until you're one of us..."

"Why?"

His smile widened even further. "Because then we'll be bonded together in _three_ ways! With the Singer bond, with the Alpha bond, and with the Mate bond..." His smile faded slightly. "Although the Mate bond only lasts for the length of the pregnancy..."

Kurt's face dropped a little, too. "But we'll still be together after," he comforted, tracing indistinguishable figures on Blaine's chest with a finger. "We don't need a werewolf connection to be a couple."

Blaine bent down and captured his lips in the tenderest of kisses.

"So true..." he breathed. "And..." He pulled back, teeth worrying his bottom lip nervously. Kurt's eyebrow rose. "Well, I'm not saying you have to make any sort of decision right this moment, but...You know, to throw it out there, so you know the option exists..."

"What is it?" Kurt pressed.

Blaine took a deep breath. "There's something called the Binding ritual, which is basically the werewolf equivalent of marriage. It's for those rare occasions when two wolves want to be united for the rest of their lives, even after their powers are gone..."

Kurt's breathing hitched. _United with Blaine? Married?_

Blaine mistook his reaction, however. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he apologized at once. "It's too soon to think about that sort of thing. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Blaine, relax!" Kurt chuckled, silencing him with a swift kiss. "I'm becoming a _werewolf_ for you, remember? I wouldn't be doing that if I wasn't invested in this relationship and expected it to last." Blaine exhaled his relief. "I love the idea...It _is_ too early in our relationship for that sort of thing, but...When the time comes, and we're both ready...I'd love to be Bound to you."

And the smile he offered was positively dazzling. Blaine felt himself fall in love all over again with this beautiful boy in his arms. _What did I do to become so lucky?_

"I only have one worry," Kurt sighed, readjusting himself to a more comfortable position in Blaine's hold. The exhaustion of the night was taking over him, and he could feel sleep quickly approaching. A small part of his brain reminded him that they were still in the Senior Commons. The larger part of his mind didn't care.

Blaine kissed the top of his head lightly. "And what's that?"

"What will my dad think of his son essentially marrying his high school sweetheart...?"

All the blood in Blaine's face drained.

…

**Long-ass chapter to make up for the long-ass delay? Yesh.**

**Don't forget to review with your words, phrases, etc. guys! :D Even if you didn't win, feel free to review anyway ;)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	18. Chapter 18: Kidnapped

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm still waiting for a few more quotes. Feel free to give me one even if you didn't win, too! I'm definitely going to include the winners', but if I like yours I'll probably slip it in as well ;D**

…

_December 9_.

That was what the calendar read. And the day right next to it – the tenth – was boxed in red. No words. Just a red Sharpie'd box. And yet it said a thousand words for Kurt.

_Tomorrow, I'm going to be Turned..._

He could not decide what to feel. Different emotions swirled within him, one replacing another every minute or so. He was excited, anxious, scared, nervous, impatient...If he did not calm down in some way he was sure he'd explode. Time passed strangely in his classes – one moment it would be flying by in a blur, and the next it dragged on and on like a snail. He overheard his seat-partner talking to his friend about his weekend plans and got a jolt when he realized that when he came to class on Monday, he would no longer be human. It was utterly surreal. _What if something goes wrong? Will it really hurt as much as they say it will?_ He had talked things over thoroughly with Blaine to make sure he knew what he was getting himself into. But even so...There was still so much he didn't know, so much he would have to learn about this new world he was throwing himself into. All for Blaine.

_For Blaine._

And suddenly, he wasn't so scared anymore. Because it was _Blaine_ he was doing this for. To be _with_ him! He knew, deep down, that he could never regret that. He was willing to endure whatever pain he had coming if it meant that he and Blaine could be together, and _stay_ together, without any protests from the Council. Thad, of course, was still sulking, but lately he seemed to be backing off, actually smiling – however fake – at Kurt in the hallways. It was progress, at least.

"Oh no, I know that look!" Blaine said knowingly, slipping into the seat beside Kurt's and making the younger boy jump. So lost in thought, he had not heard him coming. "You nervous?"

Kurt opened his mouth to deny it, but then decided there was no need to hide it from his boyfriend. "Yes," he confessed with a sigh. He lowered his voice so that nobody walking by their table in the cafeteria could overhear him. "I feel like there's still so much I should know! How am I supposed to be a new member of the pack when I know next to _nothing_ about werewolves?"

Blaine chuckled and took his hands in his own, rubbing soothing patterns into his palms. "_Relax_, Kurt! You're not expected to suddenly know all of our ways just because you'll be one of us. We all understand that you grew up in a different world, and we're all going to help you get adjusted. It'll be a learning experience. Even _I_ don't know everything there is to know about werewolves, Kurt...I doubt anybody does. As long as you know the basic rules, you'll be fine. And I'll obviously help in anyway I can. You know you can ask me anything, right?"

Kurt nodded, his smile returning. "I do..."

Their conversation switched from there to more casual topics – classes, Regionals, the Lima Bean's new decorations – as the rest of the Warblers joined them at their regular table, dinners in hand. Kurt found his stress settling down. He was going to be fine. As long as Blaine was by his side, he would be able to get through the transition into their secret world without trouble.

Almost as soon as he thought that, the table went dead silent. Blaine's arm, resting on the back of Kurt's chair, flexed.

He wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew better than to interrupt. If they were in wolf form, their ears would be pricked to the noises Kurt could not hear over the din of the crowded room.

Nick and Jeff were the first to stand. Andrew, Trent, Wes, and David quickly followed. They filed passed hurriedly, keeping up their light conversations as they went so as to not draw any attention from the other students. The rest of the table then stood as well, making their way oh-so-casually to the door. Nobody noticed the boys leaving.

"What-?" Kurt began, getting up when Blaine offered him his hand. They were the last to leave. He did not even complain about abandoning his half-finished meal. This was something werewolf-related; he just didn't know what.

"Something's happened," Blaine murmured under his breath, keeping his face carefully neutral. Once they reached the hall, Kurt saw the last few Warblers making their way towards the Main Hall. _They're headed outside..._His grip on Blaine's hand tightened. "Where are we going?"

"You're staying here," Blaine said firmly, stopping in the middle of the corridor and turning to face Kurt. He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders, his intense gaze boring into him. "The wanderers are approaching. We have to go before they get any closer."

"Why can't I come?" Kurt pouted. He knew it wasn't the time to be arguing, but he couldn't help it. "I'm going to be one of you guys _tomorrow_, Blaine! I should come and see-"

"No!" Blaine insisted, shaking his head. "They- They're not- I don't want you-"

Now Kurt was getting upset. "I'm the Singer!" he reminded hotly. "I can help!"

Blaine sighed, resting his forehead on Kurt's shoulder. The brunette's frustration immediately melted away, replaced with worry. "Please..." the older boy practically begged, voice quivering with the intensity of his emotion. "Please, just...Stay here. Believe me when I tell you that your presence isn't going to be able to stop a fight this time."

Kurt felt like somebody just walloped him in the chest with a hammer. All the air in his lungs left him.

_They're going...to a battle?_

"_Please_," Blaine repeated, raising his head. His hazel eyes sought his. It quite nearly broke Kurt's heart. "Stay here. Stay safe. I- I don't know what I'd do with myself if I let you get hurt..."

Kurt's eyes filled with unshed tears. He leaned down and kissed him for all he was worth. His fingers wound through his hair, and Blaine's arms locked tightly around his waist. "You'd better come back in one piece," he muttered against his lips.

Blaine kissed him again on the lips, on his cheeks, on his forehead. But he could not bring himself to make a promise he might not be able to keep. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he swore instead.

And then he was gone.

Kurt watched with his arms wrapped around himself as Blaine sprinted after the rest of the Warblers, trying desperately not to have a panic attack. He couldn't believe he'd just let his boyfriend run headlong into a fight. Yes, he was the Alpha and had to lead the pack, but every nerve in Kurt's body was still screaming to chase after him and hold him back. He could not get over the creeping feeling that he should have gone with them, despite Blaine's insistence. If Blaine was worried he would be injured...Just how much danger was he facing himself?

None of them – not the werewolves charging to meet the wanderers, nor the countertenor waiting anxiously back at Dalton for their quick return – noticed in all the panic that Thad had been missing all evening.

…

The second the pack burst passed the tree line and transformed, Blaine got the overwhelming sensation of running straight into a trap. It just didn't make any _sense!_ Sure, Ryan had been pretty hot-headed and short-tempered, but Blaine had not thought that Jim or Daniel would suddenly have such a change in heart. What was even more surprising was that they had not moved on yet. Most wanderers tended to do just that – _wander_ – not hang around one place for a week. It was suspicious.

Apparently, he was not the only one who thought something was fishy.

_'What's gotten into them?'_ Wes demanded, running up beside him.

_'I wish I knew.'_

David drew closer on his other side._ 'What did you say to keep Kurt away? He _is_ the Singer, after all...He probably could have come in handy if the fight gets too out of hand. Especially since he'll be a werewolf himself soon enough. He needs to learn what he's getting into.'_

_'He's still human,' _Blaine reminded. _'I'm not going to risk it while he's still so vulnerable...'_

Before his friends could respond, he powered forward even faster through the trees, towards the scent of the outsider wolves. They were stationary now. Waiting for them. That, in itself, should have been warning enough that something was not right. Werewolves _never_ waited for the fight to come to them. They were the kind of creature that charged directly into the fray.

_'This doesn't feel right...' _Jeff said quietly.

Although Blaine did not respond, he agreed with the white-blond wolf. It _didn't_ feel right. And his unease only grew exponentially when they came within fifty feet of the wolves and he realized, with a sickening drop in his stomach, that there were only two wolves present. The third's scent still clung to Jim and Daniel as if he'd rubbed up against them before departing. But the black wolf was not currently present.

_'Where's the third one?'_ they all wondered aloud.

The malicious thoughts that the two had been sending out to egg them on were quickly stifled when they spotted the group fast approaching. Blaine saw that Daniel actually looked a little apprehensive. The smaller, copper-red wolf sat a little behind the larger golden one. Neither looked like they were prepared to take on all of the Warblers.

_'What the hell is going on?'_ Blaine snarled, skidding to a stop a good twenty feet away. The others spread out behind and beside him, panting lightly, teeth bared. Now Daniel _definitely_ looked nervous. Jim stepped forward determinately.

_'For such a close-knit pack, you guys really are completely unobservant,'_ he stated lightly, as if merely pointing something out. He earned a couple growls for that.

_'And what is that supposed to mean?'_ Blaine snapped. _'Where's Ryan?'_

_'Oh, he's around...' _Jim avoided calmly. _'If I were you, I think I'd be more worried about my _own_ boyfriend...Or are you two not together? It certainly seemed that way to me...'_

Blaine's heart convulsed painfully in his chest. _Oh god...No!_

_'What did you do with Kurt!'_ he demanded furiously, literally shaking with rage. David and Wes each put a paw in front of him, holding him back. They had to hear what Jim had to say before they could attack. If Kurt was in danger, they didn't have any time to waste fighting. They needed information. Fast.

_'My boyfriend's taking care of him as we speak...' _Jim's smile was more of a sneer. His eyes flickered to the left. A split second later, Blaine sensed Thad's approach and turned to see his packmate dashing towards them, looking panicked.

_'Blaine! Blaine!'_ he called out wildly. _'Kurt! He has Kurt!'_

Blaine did not spare a thought to wonder where he'd been previously, or how he knew that, or why he hadn't chased after Ryan and Kurt himself. _'Lead the way!'_ was all he said. And just like that they were off, streaking through the woods, Thad in the lead, Blaine close behind, a multihued mass of fur and fangs and large shining eyes weaving through the naked trees in the light of the near-full moon.

_Kurt...Please forgive me!_

…

**Wow, lots of werewolf dialogue. So once again, please send in some phrases/lines you want me to use and I'll see if I can work them in! And in the meantime...Enjoy the torture of trying to figure out what Thad – I- I mean, Ryan! – has done with Kurt...**

**P.S. My first college app is due in three weeks. Can someone say PANIC?**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	19. Chapter 19: Betrayal

**I'm loving these quotes. Like, honest to goodness, they're hilarious! Haha which makes it kind of hard to fit in at the moment, what with all this tense, angsty drama, but as soon as it's over I'll be sure to slip those in ;D**

**MusicalEscape has asked that I include the requested quote in the author's note here so that you guys can know what I used in the chapter. I'm happy to oblige!**

**This chapter includes: **njferrell**'s quote: **_**H**__**e don't have to EVER**_

_**worry/think about having ANYONEs pups(let alone Blaine's). Werewolf or**_

_**not...Kurt is going to Neuter him! By ripping his balls off!**___**S****orry, I had to edit it a bit to fit :)**

…

Kurt had no idea where he was.

He desperately tried to remain calm and take in his surroundings, hoping that by doing so he could deduce his approximate location. However, whenever he tried to work it out in his mind, something would distract him – a noise nearby, or a worrisome thought that sent his heart racing.

_Okay, you're dating the Alpha of a werewolf pack_, he tried to reason with himself. _Something like this was bound to happen at some point...You're the weak link. If they'd just waited a couple days, though, I could have kicked their asses! They must know I'm about to be Turned...Do they want to stop it from happening? Is that it? But the only person who ever seemed to have a problem with it was Thad! Would he really...?_

The answer was simple. _Yes. Yes he would._

Kurt sighed. Or at least, he attempted to; the gag in his mouth – which he now realized was probably to keep him from Singing – made it hard to do so. _God, when I get out of here I'm going to rip Thad's balls off! Then he'll never have to worry about carrying anyone's pups, _especially_ Blaine's...Werewolf or not, I'll kill him myself..._

This brought him back to the problem at hand, however. He was currently gagged and blindfolded, tied to a tree with a strip of cloth that quite nearly cut off all circulation to his fingers, and as far as he knew Blaine was in the midst of a werewolf battle. There was a very small chance of being discovered by accident, too; all he knew was that he was deep in Dalton's forest. The students were still back on campus, probably finishing up dinner and heading up to their rooms, or else leaving to spend the weekend at home. He could not hear any sounds of humanity – no chatter, no cars, nothing. All he could pick up on was the rustle of the wind-stirred leaves, the skittering of small nocturnal mammals, and the hoot of an early-rising owl.

_Does Thad intend on just leaving me here to rot?_ He wondered. At that, his panic once more kicked in tenfold. _But...Blaine will come and find me, right? He'll deal with the wanderers and then get me out of here...won't he?_

_Unless...Something happens to him at the fight?_

He stopped that thought at once. He could not bare it. Blaine was fine. He had to be. He was strong and quick-thinking and agile and there was simply _no way_ he could be hurt! Kurt instead turned his mind away from such thoughts, towards the wanderers. _They seemed fine when we met them, though! Maybe a little hot-headed, in Ryan's case, but peaceful enough. Why would they all of a sudden try and invade Dalton? What's their angle? Surely they don't actually think they'd win in a fight against fifteen healthy werewolves, do they?_

Something chattered in the tree above him. He froze, eyes roaming madly behind the blindfold.

_Alright, that's it._

He was sick of waiting for somebody to save him. If Blaine was occupied and nobody else was going to notice he was missing anytime soon, then he would just have to find some way to get free himself. He tugged and twisted at the rough fabric around his wrists. It rubbed and scratched at his skin, but did not loosen. He tried pulling it taunt against the tree trunk and running it up and down, but it was strong – it did not rip on the tough bark. Getting frustrated, he decided to focus on first getting his eyesight back.

This one was thankfully easier. It took him a while, but after repetatively running the back of his head carefully down the trunk, the knot was finally forced up and over, and with a sharp nod it fell forward to the ground. He blinked around. It was no part of the woods he recognized. But that wasn't surprising; he hardly knew any of it. All that confirmed was that it wasn't close to campus. Above him, the squirrel that had made the noise leapt to a different branch and scurried away. The sun had just set; it was a vast blanket of navy and gray, only interrupted by a couple stars and the almost-full moon. A few red and orange leaves were still clinging to the branches, but for the most part they lay in a dead blanket on the forest's floor. If he hadn't been lost and tied to a tree, he would have thought it was actually quite peaceful.

The gag went next. Using his tongue and opening his mouth wide, he managed to force it out and onto the ground next to the blindfold. He rolled his sore jaw, wincing. _If this ends up hurting my vocal chords, I swear to god I'm going to-_

And then he remembered why Thad had used the gag in the first place.

_My Singing!_

…

Blaine was beginning to panic for real.

_'Thad, where is he?'_ he demanded once more, patience wearing thin.

_'I- I could have sworn he ran this way with Kurt!'_ Thad insisted. The Warblers had spread out, trying to catch a familiar scent on the wind, trying to find some sort of clue that could lead them to their Singer.

_'Maybe he realized that someone was watching him and doubled-back?'_ Wes suggested.

Blaine growled low in his throat. There was fifteen of them – surely it shouldn't have been _this_ hard to track down a human! Yet there they were, noses to the ground, turning in circles like domestic puppies chasing their own tails. He made a mental note to make them practice their tracking as soon as this was all over.

Thad shifted on his paws, sensing the Alpha's growing impatience. _'Maybe...Maybe we should split up.'_

Blaine exhaled sharply through his nose, but he figured that was probably the best chance they had at finding Kurt as quickly as possible. If Ryan had made a run for it with Kurt, they had to get on his trail as fast as they could, before other smells could override his scent.

_'Spread out!'_ he barked. _'Find him!'_

There were grunts of acknowledgement as the group immediately dashed off in different directions, some alone, others in small groups. Wes and David joined Blaine as he headed Northeast, the vague thought in his mind being that Ryan might try to escape towards Canada.

They were running for barely a minute when they paused. Jim and Daniel were hurrying towards them. When they arrived, they were panting, eyes wide but determined. Blaine bared his teeth, but only Daniel was perturbed; Jim stood his ground.

_'You have understandable reason to be angry with us,'_ he agreed. And Blaine was shocked to hear the regret in his voice. _'But we have come to help. Ryan...Ryan didn't kidnap Kurt.'_

_'Bullshit,' _Wes scoffed, and Blaine was inclined to agree with him.

_'Jim's telling the truth!'_ Daniel piped up. _'It- It was Thad! He- He's plotting something awful...'_

_'What's he planning?'_ Blaine couldn't help but demand. He wasn't sure if he believed them yet, but when it came to Kurt he wasn't willing to take the risk of not at least listening to them.

_'He had us play the kidnappers to throw you off,'_ Jim explained, voice now distinctly full of sorrow. _'He...He tied Kurt up somewhere – I don't know where. He was going to go back while you guys were all looking through the woods for him and take him far away. I don't know what he planned on doing with him after that. All I know is that I-...We're sorry for letting him use us. And we want to help you.'_

_'How am I supposed to trust you?'_ Blaine questioned, although he desperately wanted to.

Jim met his gaze. _'Because if you don't, Kurt might be in serious trouble.'_

Blaine made a split-second decision. He didn't have a choice. Kurt's safety was his number one priority. And right now, he'd give anything just to see him again. _'We need to find him. Now!'_

_'Blaine! Blaine!'_

He turned. Ryan was now barreling towards them, being chased by Andrew and Flint. He skidded to a stop on the other side of Jim, breathing heavily and crouching low to the ground, ears pressed back to his head.

_'Ryan!'_ Jim gasped. _'What are you doing here?'_

_'Doing what we should have done in the first place!'_ He straightened. Flint and Andrew were hovering near Blaine, Wes, and David, not sure what to do anymore. _'Thad's insane. Kurt doesn't deserve this. I don't care what he offers us – this is wrong. I came to warn Blaine. Second I entered the forest, though, I had these two on my ass!' _He gestured with his head towards Andrew and Flint.

Jim's large blue-gray eyes filled with tears of relief. _'Thank you, Ryan...'_

Blaine had run out of patience. _'Do you know where Kurt is?'_

Ryan turned to the Alpha. _'I do. Vaguely, at least. I'm sure he's already headed there as we speak.'_

_'Then let's go!'_ snapped Wes.

They didn't need to be told twice. Ryan shot off, closely flanked by Blaine and Jim. The other five wolves followed behind. As they streaked past a few other Warblers, David announced, _'We know where Kurt is!'_ and automatically they joined the entourage. Ryan, Jim and Blaine pulled a bit farther ahead from the others, being the strongest and fastest. It wasn't long before they were nearly out of sight from the gradually growing group of Warblers, led by Daniel. They ran past Dalton – Thad had led them in the entirely opposite direction – sending critters running and leaving behind a trail of unsettled leaves. Within five minutes, Blaine knew that they were well outside of Dalton's campus.

And then he heard it. The most beautiful sound in the entire world, a sound that he would never forget for as long as he lived, a sound that overwhelmed him with relief, caressed him with hope, summoned him forward.

Kurt was singing a soft, sweet melody up ahead.

…

_'There he is!'_ said Ryan unnecessarily as soon as the boy came into view between the trees. He had not noticed them yet, continuing on with his song. His voice wavered, but did not break. The sadness of the melody nearly killed Blaine.

And then he noticed Thad, running towards the same tree a little ways to their left, snarling madly at them, trying to beat them to Kurt. Automatically, Blaine went into overdrive. Energy he had not even realized he had left exploded within him and sent him bulleting forwards, paws pounding on the leaf-strewn ground, legs flashing. All he could think of was getting there before Thad did, before Thad could hurt him.

Kurt finally looked up. His breath caught in his throat and he instantly stopped singing. A very familiar dark wolf was speeding towards him. A smile broke out across his face. _Blaine! He's alright! He found me!_ He wanted to call out to him, but something caught his eye that made him freeze.

Another wolf was approaching as well, one that he recognized as Thad. They looked like they were going to crash into each other right on top of Kurt, and seeing as how Kurt was tied to the tree and couldn't move, he had a right to be terrified. At the last second, however, Blaine veered to the left and smashed into Thad's side, toppling them both and making them slide past, avoiding Kurt by mere inches. He cried out in surprise. He hardly even processed the other wolves making their way between the trees, looking like a wave of fur crashing through the forest.

_'Get Kurt!'_ Blaine ordered over his shoulder. He did not take his eyes off of Thad. He let his rage take over. This man was not worthy of breathing for a minute longer. He needed to be taken out. Now.

_'You betrayed me!'_ Thad shrieked at the wanderers.

_'A mansion, complete with its own butlers and maids and cooks, simply isn't worth the guilt,' _Jim explained calmly, glaring daggers at him. Thad snarled at him, and Ryan matched it. Kurt watched this whole interaction with wide, confused eyes, not being able to understand anything they were saying. Daniel edged towards Kurt, keeping a wary eye on Blaine and Thad lest the fight came too close to the human. Blaine was unyieldingly keeping himself in front of his boyfriend, though, and Thad looked positively insane with fury. He tried left; Blaine stuck out a paw. He quickly switched right, but Blaine was there in a flash. Frustrated, he charged headlong into the Alpha, and suddenly they were nothing to Kurt but a blur of black and brown fur, of glinting teeth and claws.

He had not noticed Daniel lean behind the tree and carefully – _very_ carefully; he did not even want to _think_ about what Blaine would do to him if he hurt Kurt, accident or not – rip the cloth. Kurt gave a startled little cry as he fell forward, collapsing onto all fours. A hind-leg – he honestly couldn't tell whose – nearly squashed his hand, and he quickly scurried backwards, away from the fight.

A light blond wolf – Jeff, Kurt knew – padded up to him and nudged him gently with his muzzle. Kurt tried to stand, but his legs were weak from lack of use; he slumped back down at the base of the tree. The wolf whined with worry.

"I'm fine," he promised, gaze fixated on the slashing, snarling, howling fight taking place before his very eyes. "Just...Please, make them stop!"

Jeff transformed and crouched down next to him. "I can't," he apologized, sounding sincerely sorry to say it. "We can't interfere with our Alpha's battle, no matter how much we may want to. And trust me, we want to."

But Kurt was through with rules. He was through with restrictions. He was through with watching Blaine risk his life for him again and again. Finding strength he hadn't had a moment previous, he forced himself to a half-standing position, using the tree for support, and filled his lungs. Jeff realized what he was doing half a second before it happened and clapped his hands over his ears.

The two fighting wolves yelped in surprise, leaping away from one another and pawing at their ears. The observers winced as well, bowing their heads, whimpering. They couldn't think, couldn't do anything but hear that godawful ringing.

Kurt cut himself off. Jim buried his head into Ryan's neck. The others looked to Kurt, whose breathing was a little labored.

"Stop!" he begged. "Please...Stop it. No more fighting...I don't want-"

There was a vicious growl. Thad turned away from Kurt and made a wide swipe at Blaine's shoulder. He moved out of the way just in time, returning the blow to his face. The force of the impact made him lose his footing, and there was a great thud as he toppled to the ground. Almost too fast for Kurt to catch, Wes, Trent, and Flint were there, pinning him to the ground. He howled with anger and struggled against them, but it was fruitless. The fight was over.

Blaine moved to Kurt's side, large eyes roving over him to make sure he was okay, to make sure he was actually there, alive, and not an allusion his brain had conjured up out of desperation. He noted the rawness of his wrists, the tasseled hair, the red-sore mouth. But he was alright. And that was all Blaine could ask for.

"What do you want to do with him?" Trent asked, indicating the boy still struggling to break from their grip. Blaine turned. He had not noticed that everyone else had followed his lead and transformed, even Thad.

"Kill him," suggested Ryan darkly.

"You have no right to talk," Blaine warned. "You three still played a part in all this."

Ryan had the decency to look guilty. He dropped his gaze in submission. Jim wrapped an arm around his waist. Daniel, who had stayed behind the tree after freeing Kurt's bonds, hurried over to them.

Blaine returned his attention to Thad. He had stopped thrashing and was now staring up at Blaine with crazed eyes that had long since lost their friendly, loyal touch. The four long, bleeding scratches running from his temple all the way down to his chin only made the illusion stronger. He was unrecognizable.

"I _should_ kill you, though..." Blaine mused.

Thad spat at his feet. "And I should have killed _him_ while I had the chance!"

"DON'T!"

Blaine paused, his fist already drawn back to strike. He stared at Kurt incredulously.

"_Don't?_"

"Don't," Kurt repeated with a nod. He took a shaky breath, arms wrapped around his own waist. "I don't...I don't want another death. It-...It reminds me of my mom. Please...Punish him however you want, but...No more death. I've had enough of death."

Blaine was floored. Never before had somebody so consistently done exactly what he least expected. Just when he thought he could not love Kurt more, he went and did something like this – something compassionate and generous, something that Thad did not deserve. But Blaine sighed. He could not say no to him. Instead, he glared down at Thad and declared, "You are no longer a member of the Anderson pack, Thad Harwood. Leave. Don't _ever_ come near here again!"

And then something happened he had not expected to happen – _sadness_ washed over him. He felt something in his chest twinge, then break, like the snapping of a guitar string. And he knew that the bond between them had just been severed for good. It was unexpected and indescribable; he had never imagined the possibility of ever losing his connection to one of his packmates, so it came as a surprise how empty he felt after the fact.

But then the feeling passed. Thad blinked. He looked far more pained than Blaine. He stood slowly, the fight having completely gone out of him, and without another word, he turned on his heel and headed into the woods, away from them, away from the people he used to call family. Everybody was silent as they watched him go. When he had disappeared, the only reminder of his presence was the drops of blood painting the leaves between Trent, Flint and Wes, which were soon overturned by the wind, and forgotten.

Blaine addressed the wanderers. "We'll deal with you back at Dalton."

They nodded without questioning. Blaine transformed and bent down so Kurt could pull himself up onto his back. He automatically wove his fingers through the thick fur on his neck and let himself relax into the heat radiating off the body beneath him. Then, with Blaine leading, the procession made its way back towards Dalton, their path illuminated only by the near-full moon shining down on them. There was still much to deal with. But for now, Kurt was content with leaning down and resting his head atop of Blaine's, the soft fur acting as a pillow, simply reveling in the fact that they were both alive and together again.

_Life is precious_, Blaine thought, finding comfort in the light weight on his shoulders, a constant reminder to him that Kurt was back where he belonged. _That's what Kurt was trying to tell me. That's why he let Thad go. Because you never know what life's going to throw at you next, or how much longer you'll be on this Earth. We have to enjoy it while it lasts._

_And Kurt's life is the most precious of them all...And I will protect it with my own until my last breath._

…

**Wow. Hadn't realized one bullet point in my outline would lead to six pages of a chapter. Le fu!**

**I just realized that I have a tendency to create at least one character that everybody loves to hate...Madame Morreaux in 'Pride,' Ethan in 'Camping,' Roy in 'Washing Away,' and now Thad! I'm sure this has something to do with my heavily-Disney-influenced childhood...Derp.**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	20. Chapter 20: Never Again

**No quotes in this one :(**

…

The wanderers were silent the entire way back to Dalton. They did not speak as they ascended the stairs to the Warbler Hall, nor when they settled down on the couches and chairs scattered about the room. Blaine offered to take Kurt directly to his room, but the younger boy insisted on joining them. Secretly, Blaine was glad; after all that had happened that night, he doubted he'd ever comfortably be able to let Kurt out of his sight ever again. He seemed to be a magnet for trouble when it came to the werewolf world.

"So, just to clarify..." He spoke to the three wanderers seated straight-backed, heads bowed, on one of the black leather couches. They met his gaze guiltily. "When did Thad make the deal with you? And what exactly did he offer you?"

"When he stayed behind to show us to a hotel," Jim spoke up for them. His voice was steady, but Blaine detected the hidden fright in his tone. "He said he'd give us a nice place to live – a _permanent residence_! You must understand, wandering from place to place isn't a desirable lifestyle! Not for us, at least. We were sick of moving. We wanted to settle. And here he was, offering up a fucking – excuse my language – a fucking _mansion_, complete with servants to do all our chores and cook for us! And all we had to do was _pretend_ to kidnap someone. It- It was too much to pass up."

"We're sorry," Damian chipped in quietly. And he truly did sound it.

Blaine wasn't quite ready to accept their apology, however. He was still unsettled by the events of the evening. "So you were willing to assist with his treachery. You played along with a kidnapping – which is a _felony_, I'd just like to remind you – just for your own personal comfort." He scoffed. "A person's _life_ is far more important than butlers and maids..."

"But they knew that..."

He turned to Kurt. He was reclined on the most cushioned couch in the room – Blaine wanted him to be as comfortable as possible – but the exhaustion was clearly weighing on him; Jeff and Nick sat on either side of him to act as subtle props to keep him vertical. His eyelids were drooping a bit, but he was still alert, still paying close attention. "If they were genuinely bad people, they would have gone through with it. But seeing as how they arrived along with everyone else, I'm assuming they didn't."

"No, they didn't," Blaine allowed thoughtfully. His gaze shifted back to the wanderers. "They all turned themselves in and confessed. And...in the end, they _did_ help us find you." He sighed heavily. "I suppose for that I should be thanking you. I cannot express in words how glad I am to have Kurt back safely..."

Kurt looked down at his knees embarrassedly.

"We all are," agreed Nick.

"Yeah, man, as far as I'm concerned, you're already one of us," Trent smiled across the room at him.

Ryan frowned, confused. "One of you? You mean he's-"

"Going to becoming a werewolf himself, yes," Blaine cut him off firmly, eyes daring him to make a comment on it. Jim saw the danger zone they were getting themselves into and put a silencing hand on Ryan's leg. However, he couldn't help but ask another question.

"The full moon's tomorrow," he pointed out. "Is that when...?"

Blaine was about to say 'yes,' but something stopped him. A quick glance at his boyfriend solidified his worries. Kurt wasn't ready for the transformation. Not so soon after this ordeal. It would be too much for him. It wasn't safe.

Wes noticed Blaine's hesitation. "Blaine?"

He turned to his friend with pleading eyes. "Wes..." he whispered. "Can we move the Turning back a month? Kurt's weak; even if we _did_ try and perform the ceremony tomorrow night, there'd only be a slim chance he'd make it! _Please_, let's just wait for him to recover. I don't want to take that risk. He-...He's been through enough. He needs time."

Wes looked torn. He always followed the rules. Always. But he could not deny that the risk of failure was significantly higher when the subject was tired and emotionally strained. Surely they could make an exception for this...Right?

Kurt, not wanting Blaine to get in trouble for him, spoke up again. "I-...I'll do it," he promised. "I understand if...if you can't push it back to the next full moon."

But his self-sacrifice only make Wes's willingness to push it back stronger. "No," he decided. He glanced to David briefly, and the dark-skinned boy nodded his head in agreement. "No, Kurt, you're not going to be Turned tomorrow. You're in no state for such a rigorous change. The ceremony will be held in January."

With the bang of his gravel, the entire room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. Kurt slumped back in his seat, and Jeff chuckled and nudged his shoulder kindly.

"Besides," David added with a smile, "it would not be official anyway. It must be overseen by all three of the Council members, and seeing as how our third member is no longer one of us..."

"Then who's going to take his place?" Kurt wondered.

"We'll have a voting tomorrow," Wes announced.

"So the only thing left to deal with tonight is you three..." Blaine returned his attention to Jim, Ryan and Daniel. After a pause of contemplation, during which he watched the three young men squirm uncomfortably under his stare, he actually cracked a smile and said, "I think I'll leave that to Kurt to decide."

The brunette looked up, startled. "What?"

"You're the one that's been the most effected by their actions," Blaine explained. "I think it's only fair you have a say in what we do with them."

The wanderers turned their anxious eyes towards him. He shrunk back a little in his seat, unnerved by all the gazes suddenly on him. "I- Well, I mean..." _Get a grip_. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "None of you ever actually hurt me. Not directly, at least. And since you apparently helped Blaine find me...I think that sort of deserves a reward more than a punishment."

Blaine beamed; he'd suspected that Kurt would say something like that. He was always extraordinarily forgiving, even to people that perhaps did not necessarily deserve it. But it was still incredibly endearing.

"So...I don't really know what to say," the countertenor confessed with a little laugh. "If it's up to me, then I guess you guys can stay in the guest rooms here tonight and leave in the morning." He glanced to the two remaining Council members. "Can they do that?"

Wes and David both nodded synchronically. "That sounds fine."

"Andrew and Flint will show you to the guest rooms," Blaine said. The two Warblers in question stepped forward obediently and waited for the three 'guests' to stand. Daniel seemed to be in a daze. Ryan's face was stuck on disbelief. Jim, however, directed his grateful gaze towards Kurt, mouthing a teary '_thank you_' to him. Kurt just smiled.

When they were gone, Wes dismissed the group, warning them to be back at eight the next morning – ten, Blaine quickly amended; it would be a Saturday, after all, and they deserved to sleep in after the night they'd just had – to vote on the new Council member.

"You ready to turn in?" Blaine suggested, helping an already-half-unconscious Kurt to his feet. He headed down the hall towards Kurt's room, not minding the sluggish pace they were going. Kurt hardly seemed able to put one foot in front of the other.

"So...tired..." he mumbled.

Blaine chuckled under his breath. "I can imagine...You've been through a lot...You deserve to rest."

"Thanks for moving the Turning," he added. "I promise I'll be ready for the next full moon..."

"Don't worry about it. I know you will be." They made it to Kurt's room, and Blaine opened the door for him, practically dragging Kurt inside as he flipped on the lights. "Come on, babe, you've got to get ready for bed now..."

Mumbling incoherently, Kurt wobbled into his bathroom to brush his teeth. When he emerged, he made his way over to his wardrobe for his pajamas. Blaine respectfully kept his backed turned as he changed, even though the urge to turn around was embarrassingly powerful. Only when he heard the rustle of sheets did he allow himself to break eye contact with the opposite wall. Kurt was already slipping under his blankets. Blaine turned on the dimmer desk lamp and turned off the overhead, kneeling next to the bed by Kurt's head. The countertenor smiled sleepily at him and reached his hand out from under his comforter, which Blaine instantly took in his own.

"I knew you'd come for me..." he whispered quietly.

Tears began to leak from Kurt's eyes and spill onto his sheets. Blaine reached out and brushed them away. And then he was murmuring words of affection and assurance and kissing his knuckles, his forehead, his cheeks, everything that wasn't buried under the mound of blankets. It took him a moment to realize that he was also crying. Silent tears made tracks down his own face.

"I was so scared," he confessed, his voice breaking as he clung to Kurt's hand and allowed himself to get lost in those beautiful glasz seas of color. "I was so scared of losing you, Kurt...I was scared I'd never see you again, never be able to kiss you again, or tell you how much you mean to me...I've never been more scared in my life."

And then it was _Kurt_ that was comforting _Blaine_. He stroked his curls, running his fingers through his hair rhythmically, whispering comforting words that only made Blaine cry harder. He buried his face in Kurt's sheets. The younger boy did not mind. He just kept petting his hair and reminding both of them that they were still together, still okay.

"Come here," Kurt muttered, moving back in his bed and lifting his blankets invitingly. Blaine stared for a moment, frozen. He was about to protest – his morals would normally never let him sleep in the same bed as his boyfriend, not this early in their relationship – but he knew that they both needed the comfort of one another. So he kicked off his shoes and slid in next to him. They wrapped their arms around each other tightly, pressed together from head to toe. Blaine absorbed Kurt's presence, his senses focused on nothing but the boy in his arms, the boy he'd nearly lost that night. _Never again_, he pledged to himself.

"I love you," was the last thing that Kurt whispered before unconsciousness overwhelmed him.

It was the first time he'd said it to Blaine. Blaine did not know if it was the excitement of the night that did it, or if he'd even remember saying it when he awoke in the morning. But he did not care. Hearing it made Blaine's heart swell, and if it was possible he fell for Kurt even more.

He kissed his forehead. "I love you too," he returned quietly, not sure Kurt was still awake to hear him. "More than you'll ever know..."

And with that, he too drifted off into the land of dreams, lulled to sleep by the sound of Kurt's steady breathing as they lay in each other's arms.

…

**By the by, your requests have been awesome! :D And I promise I'm going to work them in. But for now it's a little tricky because most of them are sort of whimsical, which wouldn't be appropriate at this time. But I can assure you that there will be plenty of moments to come in which I'll slip those suckers in ;D I've written them all down. When I come across a scene in which one can work- BAM! There it'll go. Like a boss.**

**I won't be able to post another chapter for a little while. I need to focus on college apps. As soon as I get on top of that, though, I'll be sure to send another update your way! Until then...I don't know. Eat some redvines. Watch Glee. Rage over the inconsistencies and impossibilities they try to sell us. Do they seriously think we won't notice? Le sigh.**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	21. Chapter 21: Meeting Rick Peters

**My internet went down. On Halloween night, no less...lol so I thought I'd get caught up on some writing :) Sorry if there's some grammatical/spelling mistakes...I've been having some keyboard issues. The first one: I broke the spacebar. The second one could only delete FOREWARDS. This third one I'm using has really stiff keys. Le fuuu.**

**This chapter includes: **ptirobo**'s request for some Klaine cuddling with werewolf!Blaine! :D I absolutely loved writing that part...I'm sure you'll be able to tell.**

…

Kurt did not awake the next morning until well after the sun had risen. Rays of light streamed through the window, cut across the room, illuminated his boyfriend's still-sleeping face. Kurt smiled lovingly down at him, once again struck by how lucky he was. Two months ago, he never would have imagined that he would ever wake up with such a gorgeous, angelic young man laying beside him. It seemed miraculous in the best possible way. There was no way to properly explain his feelings, apart from one word: love.

He leaned down and brushed a light kiss to his lips. Blaine murmured incoherently and shifted a bit. Kurt chuckled, taking to stroking his cheek, which was beginning to have a hint of stubble. Blaine still wore the Dalton blazer he'd fallen asleep in, which was now wrinkled and creased, but somehow it did not bother Kurt.

With a great sigh, the lead soloist finally awoke. Hazel eyes quickly came into focus. He grinned. "Morning," he murmured, voice rough with sleep. He groaned and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "What time is it? Have you been up long?"

"No, not long," Kurt assured with a fond smile, gracing his lips with another kiss that was happily returned. Glancing over Blaine's shoulder, Kurt added, "It's only nine."

Blaine nodded. "I should go back to my room," he decided. "I think arriving to a Warbler meeting unshowered, unshaven and in rumbled clothing might raise some eyebrows..."

Kurt giggled. "Very likely, yes." He allowed Blaine to slip out of his arms. Suddenly, he felt very lonely. The warmth that had been radiating off Blaine was gone. The only reminder of his presence was the indent on the mattress and his scent lingering on the sheets.

"Thank you..."

Blaine paused in the doorway, eyebrows drawn together. "For what?"

"For everything!" He sat up. "For saving me. For not killing Thad. For letting the wanderers go. For staying with me last night..."

Blaine laughed and returned to the bedside to envelop the brunette in his arms. "Kurt, you don't have to thank me for any of that! I _love_ you. I would do anything for you...You know that, right?"

At that magical four letter word, Kurt positively beamed, which was answer enough. With a parting kiss that lingered longer than the others, Blaine left, hurrying down the hall to his own room. He wanted to get showered and dressed as quickly as possible so that he could return to Kurt's side.

…

The wanderers departed with their final well-wishes and thanks. Thad's transfer was smoothly covered up by Blaine and Thad's parents (Blaine had called his father to explain what had happened shortly before the meeting that morning). Jeff was elected by majority vote as the third Council member. Everything was settling back down for the Warblers. The rest of the students suspected nothing. It was incredible to Kurt how blissfully ignorant they could be of everything that went on in and around the Dalton campus. Then he remembered that he had been one of them not too long ago.

That night was still a full moon, even if Kurt wasn't to be Turned, which meant that the pack would go out to hunt. Blaine offered to stay behind with Kurt, still uneasy about leaving him alone, but Kurt insisted that he go lead the hunt. He did not want to interfere with Blaine's duties as Alpha any more than he already had. So that evening he kissed his boyfriend goodbye, wished them all luck, and silently prayed to whatever deity might be listening to his thoughts that they made it back safely. He tried to get his weekend homework over with as a distraction. He kept glancing out the window, though, as if expecting to see the wolves weaving through the outer edges of the forest, despite the fact that he knew they hunted well away from campus.

_Focus!_ he scolded himself for the umpteenth time, once more drawing his attention back to his Physics textbook. _They're fine. Thad's gone. There's nothing to worry about._

And, for once, he was right.

They returned a little after midnight. They all snuck back to their respective rooms except for Blaine, who made his way directly to Kurt's single. The countertenor was so glad to see him that he flung himself out of his chair and into Blaine's arms, who laughed but certainly did not protest.

"I missed you too!" he chortled.

"How was it?" Kurt asked, leading him over to the bed with their fingers entwined.

"Uh, fine?" Blaine answered, not entirely sure why Kurt was asking. A hunt was just a hunt. Nothing special. "Kurt...What's up?"

Kurt was about to insist that nothing was 'up,' but then decided to just go for it. He took a deep breath and, keeping his eyes lowered to Blaine's knee, whispered, "Can you turn back into a wolf?"

Blaine frowned. If he didn't have incredible hearing, he would have asked Kurt to repeat the strange request. But it was a simple enough question. "Why?" he had to ask, though.

"If...If I'm going to become a werewolf myself, I need to get more used to that form," Kurt tried to explain. "I need to be more comfortable with the...the wolf part of you. And soon mine, too."

Blaine consented. It was actually a pretty smart idea. He stood and moved to the center of the room in order to avoid any damage to the furniture. Closing his eyes, it only took him a second to transform; the full moon made it easier than breathing to resort to that form. Kurt stood up from the bed and approached him, much more confident this time than when he'd first learned the Warblers' secret. He reached out, running his fingers through the now-familiar black fur. He smiled to himself. Blaine gave a staccato growl that somehow managed to sound like a chuckle.

He sat down, and Kurt lowered himself to his knees so that they were at eye level. Blaine's tail swished back and forth across the floor, his large hazel eyes watching him closely as he ran his hand all the way down his back. _He's like a giant dog_, Kurt decided. _A giant, very human dog..._

Then Blaine nuzzled into Kurt's shoulder playfully, making him squirm and giggle. Kurt made himself a little more comfortable on the floor, scooting closer to his boyfriend's side and loving the warmth that radiated off him. Blaine's body curled around him, tail coming to drape across his lap. He was practically surrounded by him. And he loved it.

There was a light rumble in Blaine's throat, and Kurt was only a little unnerved that he could understand it. _'Are you okay?' _He chalked it up to hanging out with werewolves so much.

Petting Blaine's muzzle, he smiled and said, "It's so strange...I'm sitting with a gigantic werewolf, and yet I've never felt more at peace..."

Blaine whined happily and licked his cheek with the tip of his tongue. Kurt squealed with laughter, rubbing at his cheek with his sleeve and slapping his shoulder with his free hand. Blaine's tail began to beat again, now definitely grinning. He stuck his wet nose into the crook of his neck, which he knew from experience was one of Kurt's most sensitive spots. Predictably, the brunette squirmed away, playfully swatting at him.

A couple minutes later, Blaine settled down, once more curling in around his boyfriend like a loving protective barrier of fur. Kurt snuggled in close against him, finding the perfect spot just behind his shoulder. He could faintly hear Blaine's strong heartbeat, and feel the rise and fall of his chest. Blaine's tail rested atop Kurt's legs and he lowered his head down to the floor directly in front of Kurt, earning a scratch behind the ears.

"You're such a dog," Kurt teased. Blaine snorted in response.

Kurt knew he should get up and go to bed. But he was far to comfortable to move. And besides, Blaine's eyes had closed as soon as Kurt began to pet his muzzle, and he didn't have the heart to stop. So they stayed as they were, both falling asleep there on the floor, the only sound in the room being their deep, synchronized breathing.

…

Blaine decided to visit the Canadian pack. If the situation really was as bad as Jim, Daniel and Ryan had made it out to be, then he needed to do something. They were the only two packs in North America; the actions of one affected the other. His father agreed and promised to deal with Dalton's administration for him, with a parting warning to tread lightly. "You'll be on _his_ territory. Picking a fight would be unwise."

As soon as he announced to the rest of the Warblers his plan to visit, however, they all immediately volunteered to come with. It was Kurt, to everybody's surprise, that calmed them down and convinced them to stay in Westerville. As much as he didn't like the idea of letting Blaine go, Kurt understood that his boyfriend would have to speak with Rick – the Canadian pack leader – alone, Alpha to Alpha, without any distractions or interruptions.

However, the Council did not want him to go by himself. It was too dangerous. So it was agreed upon that the members of the Council would accompany him, leaving the two oldest members – Trent and Flint – in charge. Kurt offered to go as well, as the Singer, but it was decided that it best to keep him with the larger number of wolves.

"Be careful," Kurt warned, kissing Blaine on his cheek and subconsciously fussing with the collar of his jacket, even though there was nothing wrong with it. Blaine, recognizing Kurt's nervous habit, smiled and took his fiddling hands in his own.

"I'm going to be _fine_," he promised. "I'm just going to talk with him. That's all."

"I know," Kurt sighed. Nevertheless, he was worried; he did not particularly like the idea of sending Blaine out of the country to 'talk' with the same man that had kicked Ryan and Jim out of the pack. From the sounds of it, he was not exactly pleasant company to keep. "But...But if there's any trouble..."

Blaine knew what he was trying to say and promptly kissed him. The Council members, who were ready to go and just waiting on him, looked away in all different directions and struck up conversations about the architecture. There was a minute risk that something would go down in Toronto and Blaine would not return, of course, but Kurt did not want to jinx it by saying anything that resembled a final goodbye. Blaine understood, though. They always understood one another. Words, in the end, were unnecessary.

"Good luck with your studies," Blaine added. "And say hi to Burt and Carol and Finn for me."

Kurt smiled. "Will do!" Finals had crept up on them, and were starting on Tuesday. Kurt had decided to go home and get some last-minute studying done, away from the Dalton madness, making Blaine promise to call him the second he got back to school.

Glancing at the Council members, he half-joked, "Keep this idiot out of trouble, will you?"

They laughed. "We'll do our best," Jeff winked.

…

The run to Toronto took a little under six hours, with a short break for lunch. They arrived mid-afternoon, letting their noses lead them to a large, mansion-like house on the outskirts of the city bordering a forest. _Convenient_, they thought to themselves. Just as they neared the tree-line, however, four wolves came to meet them, looking nonplused.

_'Who are you? What do you want?'_ one of them demanded at once. Blaine winced internally. _Did we sound that rude when we met Daniel and Ryan and Jim?_

_'My name is Blaine. I'm the Alpha of the Anderson Pack,'_ he introduced authoritatively. _'I've come to speak with your leader.'_

_'Kinda scrawny for an Alpha...'_ another one muttered. Jeff snarled; David quickly silenced him. The first one who'd spoken sent the wolf on his right back to the house. There was a tense silence, in which they did nothing but stare at one another, secretly sizing each other up, deciding their chances of winning in a fight.

It was not long until the wolf returned. _'Rick will only see Blaine,'_ he announced. _'Not you three,'_ he added. _'You have to wait here.'_

_'What?'_ Jeff barked incredulously.

_'That's fine,'_ Wes spoke over him. He gave Blaine a silent nod of encouragement before sitting back on his hind-legs. Blaine returned it and followed the same wolf back to the mansion. They both transformed as soon as they got passed the threshold. He was taken up to the third story and down a long hallway until they reached a set of regal double doors with a plaque reading 'Rick Peters' above it.

"He's in here," the young man deadpanned.

"Thank you." Taking a deep breath, Blaine reached forward and pushed open the door.

Rick Peters was a burly man, clearly in his early twenties, with bushy russet hair and a square jaw. His eyes are beady and piercing, suspicious, untrusting.

"Mr. Anderson..." he greeted with faux-friendliness, standing from his seat behind his desk. They shook hands, each trying to measure the other's strength. "What brings you up to my territory? I don't believe we've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"No, we haven't. But my pack has met quite a few wanderers of late," Blaine explained. "And seeing as how we have not had anybody leave in four generations-" _except Thad_, he mentally corrected- "the only other place they could be coming from is here."

"And?" His tone was quickly losing its forced kindness. Blaine knew to choose his words carefully.

"And I was worried that something might be troubling your pack. It is rare for so many wolves to become wanderers, especially in such a short period of time..."

"Oh, how _thoughtful_ of you," Rick sneered, the epitome of insincere. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from his desk and took a swig. "But I assure you, young Alpa, that those wolves deserved it. They were insolent, disobedient, and _weak_. They had no place in this pack. I have no tolerance for shenanigans, Mr. Anderson. Surely, as an Alpha, you can understand that!"

Blaine crafted his retort delicately, avoiding the question with one of his own. "What exactly did they do, Mr. Peters?"

Rick sighed, falling into his chair. It creaked under his weight. "Well, that Kellan fellow – the old Alpha, you meet 'im? – was a complete waste. _Totally_ unfit for the position...Fell in love with the Singer, he did! I led the mutiny against such frivolity, and when the idiot tried to Turn her – killed her, a'course – I finally managed to rid this pack of his stupidity."

Blaine wore his pokerface while listening to Rick speak. Internally, his rage was building. From what little he knew of Kellan, he was anything but stupid. And Blaine _himself_ had fallen in love with a Singer! But he said nothing. Rick continued talking.

"Then there was Jim. God, what a _fag_-"

Blaine couldn't help it; he flinched. Luckily, Rick was gazing out his window, and hadn't noticed.

"He and Ryan...Always knew Ryan was a cocksucker – he never bothered trying to hide it – but I'd hoped Jim would grow out of it. Knew there was something _wrong_ about them from the very beginning, though. It was only a matter of time before they were exposed for what they were. Can you believe it – caught them with their tongues down each other's throats! Sick faggots, the both of them..." He scoffed and took another mouthful.

Blaine's nails dug into his palm, resisting the powerful urge to attack the bastard then and there. He had promised Kurt he would avoid any violence. _But surely he'd understand violence for _this_ reason, right?_ "That must have been quite a shock for you to walk in on," he answered instead, his voice level, monotone.

Rick had not caught on to his hidden detestation yet. The alcohol must have been misting his senses. "Pretty disgusting, eh?" he agreed. He took another swig of whiskey, holding the bottle out in offering to Blaine. He shook his head politely. "Anyway, when I kicked their worthless asses out, their friend Daniel walked out with them. Can you believe it?" he said again. "_Him_, walking out on _me_! Well, good riddance to the lot of them, I say. I don't need any homo-lovers infecting my pack..."

And with that, Blaine knew he had to leave. _Now_. "I'm afraid I must be going. I merely came to understand why we were running into so many wanderers. It was lovely to meet you."

Rick seemed taken aback by his sudden departure, but he got to his feet nevertheless and shook Blaine's hand once again. "Same here, same here," he beamed through his thick mustache. This one looked slightly more genuine. "Hey, you come back and visit, eh? It was nice to talk with a fellow Alpha..."

"I will be sure to keep your offer in mind," Blaine forced a smile and left, leaving behind the homophobe with his bottle of whiskey and an ignorant beam on his face, thinking that he had just befriended the Alpha of the Anderson pack.

But in actuality, he had just made a very, very dangerous enemy.

…

**So...Rick's a dick. And now I'm rhyming. **

**I have nothing against Canada or Canadians! My subconscious Yelah is half-Canadian...It was always a lovely place to visit. Rick is in _no way_ supposed to represent the Canadian ethnicity.**

**You know how I said I need to be working on college apps? Yeah. I seriously do. Stupid plot bunnies, always attacking me when I have the least amount of time!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	22. Chapter 22: Finals

**This chapter includes: **MusicalEscape**'s quote: _ARE YOU INSANE? MARMITE IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER!_ As well as **nerdishchick96**'s quote: _OHMYGIDDYGOD'SPYJAMAS!_ Which I programed my phone to autocorrect 'omg' to, I'll have you know ;D Enjoy!**

…

Blaine, Jeff, Wes and David returned to Dalton late that night, slipping in after curfew and sneaking up to their respective quarters. Blaine, though, instead of heading for his own, made his way to Kurt's room, eager to see him again. It had been less than a day, but it felt like weeks without him. The second he saw the strip of light spilling from beneath the closed door, however, he was struck with panic.

He'd forgotten to call.

Sure enough, as soon as he'd knocked lightly and opened the door, the brunette turned on him with a fiery rage in his eyes. He was already clad in his pajamas, but somehow it only made him look more intimidating.

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?" he hissed, attempting to keep his voice down in order to not disturb the boys next door. Blaine subtly closed Kurt's own door behind him and leaned up against it, a guilty smile on his face. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was? I was going out of my mind! I thought you'd be back by _dinnertime!_" Blaine opened his mouth to point out that Toronto was a six-hour run away, but then decided it would be best not to interrupt his rant. "Not a word _all day_, not even a text! I thought- I thought of all sorts of scenarios! A fight had broken out, or there was an ambush, or they were holding you captive, and I was just sitting there surrounded by my stupid textbooks and secretly going insane and I'm pretty sure dad and Carol question my sanity now and I had hoped that you'd be here by the time I got here but no, nobody had heard from you either!" He took a deep breath after his impressive run-on sentence before continuing. "I hardly got _any_ studying done, and I blame it entirely on you and your decision to go to Canada right before finals and I _really_ need to do well on my tests because-"

And that was when Blaine realized that he was about to cry.

Kurt stopped immediately, looking horrified with himself. "Oh my god..." he breathed. He took a step forward, hands half-raised towards him as if not sure whether he was allowed to touch him or not. "Blaine...Blaine, baby, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! You didn't do anything wrong. I was just stressed about finals. Please, don't cry...If I make you cry I'll hate myself! Oh god..."

Blaine shook his head though, and Kurt was taken aback to see the smile breaking across his face. Now he was more confused than worried.

"Blaine?" he tried again, this time reaching out and cupping Blaine's cheek gingerly, brushing away a tear with his thumb. "Did something happen? Talk to me..."

"I love you," Blaine said simply. "I love you _so_ much, Kurt."

And before Kurt could return the sentiment, Blaine's lips were on his, and he forgot how to speak, how to breathe.

A few minutes later, they were both seated on Kurt's bed, Blaine's tears long gone. "I'm sorry," he started, chuckling at his own emotional display. "I promise, I didn't cry because of you. Well, I mean, it _was_ about you, but you didn't cause-...Well, I guess in a sense-"

Kurt stopped his babbling with a chaste kiss. He then sat back and simply smiled, waiting patiently for Blaine to collect his thoughts, which had seemed to scatter all across the room sometime during their make-out session.

Blaine heaved a sigh. "Alright," he tried again. "I was crying because I was...overwhelmed by how much I care for you. It just sort of _hit_ me, all at once, how incredible you are." He continued on before Kurt could protest, as he knew he would if given the chance. "Rick Peters was...Well, basically he's an arrogant homophobic bastard." Kurt sucked in a breath but nodded; he had suspected as much. "I've never wanted to hurt someone so much before in my life. Save maybe Thad. He just..._got_ to me! But I was the perfect guest. No fighting. I promise."

Kurt's shoulders sagged noticeably with relief. "Thank goodness..." he muttered.

Blaine laughed and went on with his explanation. "I was furious. I wasn't thinking. I promise, if I had been, I would have called!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, having the courtesy to look a little ashamed of his outburst. "Don't worry about it..."

"And then when I got back and saw how worried you were about me...I just can't get over how I managed to find such a wonderful partner," he finished, leaning in for another kiss. Kurt grinned against his lips.

_No,_ he thought. _It's the other way around..._

…

The next day, after classes let out (it was a half day; the school wanted to give the students a little more time to study before exams began the next day) the Warblers decided to catch some lunch and then head to the common room on the second floor to study together. It quickly became apparent to Kurt, however, that 'studying' did not necessarily mean peace and quiet when it came to the show choir.

"Are you _insane_? Marmite is _always_ the answer!"

"Ohmygiddygod'spajamas! You're so, _so_ wrong! It's _obviously_ chloroform!"

"Shut the hell up!" Blaine's patience finally snapped. He slammed his textbook onto the table. "There is no way either of those answers are going to be on the art history exam! If you two don't cut it out I'm going to throw you out the window by the tails!"

Kurt chuckled at Blaine's outburst, putting a gentle hand on his arm as Nick and Jeff pretended to cower in fear. Or perhaps it was legitimate. Blaine could be pretty intimidating, after all. "Hon, let them be, they're just trying to lighten the mood a bit. I think we all need a little relaxation."

"But they're distracting me!" he whined childishly, only making Kurt's smile widen further. It was like dealing with preschoolers. Blaine indicated his notebook. "Look, they're invading my subconscious! 'Marmite' is most definitely not the right answer..."

"Are you sure?" Kurt pretended to ask seriously.

He stared at him incredulously. "I'm doing _calculus!_"

The entire room burst into snickering.

…

Finals week flew by in a whirlwind of essays and scantrons and emergency coffee runs. On Wednesday night, in order to relieve some of the tension Blaine knew his boyfriend was feeling, he convinced him to sing 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' with him. They ended up chasing one another down the hallway – well, Blaine chased Kurt, in reference to the song – and through the Main Hall, attracting quite the audience of both students and teachers. They finished their impromptu little performance with a kiss that everybody 'aww'ed at, much to Kurt's embarrassment. Then Wes appeared and broke it up, grumpy that the couple had given a show without the other Warblers.

And then, at long last, finals were over, and winter break began. Most boys spent Friday packing, eager to return to their families for the holidays. The snow was building; the trees had lost their leaves, the branches naked and coated with frost. It was beautiful.

"I have a proposition," Blaine announced, leaning against Kurt's doorframe, watching his boyfriend cramming yet another pair of shoes into his bag. _For somebody only returning home for a couple weeks, he sure is packing a lot..._

"Oh?" Kurt prompted, straightening up. "And what might that be?"

Blaine crossed the room and took Kurt's hands in his. "What would you say to...having dinner with me and my parents tonight?"

Kurt nearly fainted.

…

**Next chapter: Dinner at the Andersons.**

**My Early Decision college app is due in 13 days. I think I'm having a panic attack. SOMEBODY GET ME REECE'S PUFFS, STAT!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	23. Chapter 23: Dinner at the Andersons

**Got a little sidetracked there with 'The True You' and 'It Started With a Candy Shop'...Sorry, guys!**

**ALSO! I've caved and finally gotten a Tumblr...I'm a total newbie at the moment so I basically just have reposts of Klaine and Glee, but I'd still love to interact with you guys in a new way! :D If I get a few followers I'll definitely post little teasers for y'all ;) I'm **xbleedingblackrosex** on there, and there's a link on my profile. Hope to see you guys over there!**

…

Kurt answered the door to a very cold-looking Blaine, his cheeks adorably flushed from the chill, his breath puffing out as smoke in the crisp evening air. Kurt's own breath caught. Surely this was an angel sent to him. It didn't even matter that he wasn't religious; he still believed wholeheartedly that this young man standing before him was crafted by the gods for the sole purpose of awing him every second they were together. It only helped that the Christmas lights and white snow-covered lawn framed his boyfriend in an extraordinarily flattering way.

"I love that scarf on you," he blurted with a grin, stepping out and closing the door behind him softly.

Blaine smirked. "I know, that's why I wore it..."

Kurt's smile widened. It was things like this that made him realize just how perfect his boyfriend was, werewolf genes and all. He drew closer. "Oh, really?" He played teasingly with the ends of the black and navy scarf.

"Really," Blaine purred.

"All the easier to do this." And without any hesitance, he yanked on the scarf and pulled their lips together. Blaine chuckled into the kiss, pressing closer eagerly. Their arms wound around each other. Suddenly, the frigid weather was the last thing on their minds.

"We should get going," Blaine murmured reluctantly, more than willing to continue what they were doing. But he knew his parents were sticklers for punctuality.

Kurt nodded, stole another kiss, and moved back. He wanted to make a good impression on Blaine's family, after all. Hand in hand, they stepped down the front pathway towards Blaine's car parked on the street.

Kurt had returned home – after a long length of time during which Blaine reassured Kurt that yes, his parents wanted to meet him, and no, they weren't going to kill him – for the afternoon to unpack and settle in a bit. Blaine then came to pick him up and take him to his house. Burt had noticed Kurt's nervousness and had done his part to make it easier on him by staying in the living room when the doorbell rang, knowing that Kurt still worried that he disapproved of Blaine being a werewolf. At this point, though, Kurt's thoughts were revolving resolutely around _impress Blaine's parents. Impress the hell out of them and convince them that you're worthy of their son._

The radio played Christmas jingles through the entire half-hour drive, and they sung along to distract themselves from what was to come. This was the first time Kurt would meet Blaine's parents, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

They arrived at Blaine's house with two minutes to spare.

"Oh my god..." Kurt breathed, gaping up at the looming white mansion. Two stories tall, with great columns framing the front steps, it seemed more like a castle than anything. Kurt hadn't even known that houses like this could be found in Ohio! "Blaine, you...you _live_ here?"

Blaine chuckled abashedly. "Yeah, I do," he confessed, shifting the car into park at the end of the driveway. "I'm sorry, I know it's really over the top..."

"It's incredible!" Kurt shook his head, practically floating out of the car. His hand automatically found Blaine's as he stared up at the impressive building before him. "I mean, I knew you were pretty well off, sure, but I hadn't realized you lived like a prince!"

Blaine laughed at that. "No, no, not a prince. A duke, maybe, or a count..."

Kurt elbowed him playfully.

"I know I probably should have brought you here earlier," he admitted. "But...I just- I didn't want your opinion of me to change because of this. I didn't want you to think I was just another snobby prep boy. I wanted any feelings you may have had for me be because of _me_, as a person, not my family's money."

Kurt stopped in his tracks, forcing Blaine to swing around and face him.

"Blaine..." He spoke carefully, articulating every word with precision to make absolutely sure he understood what was being said. "I don't _care_ about how well off your family is! You could have lived in a run-down old _shack_ and I wouldn't have given a flip. I fell in love with the Blaine I see standing before me – not the house behind you, not the parents inside, not the genes in your body that turn you into a wolf. You. So don't _ever_ think something like this could change what I feel for you, okay?"

Blaine's smile was absolutely blinding. He reached up and pulled Kurt in for a kiss, thanking him. "I love you..." he whispered.

Kurt beamed. "I love you more. Now let's get inside before I freeze my ass off."

Laughing, Blaine offered his elbow in an exaggeratedly old-fashioned gesture and led him up the stairs to the front door, upon which a simple gold and red wreath hung. He did not give himself time to worry; he just reached forward and turned the doorknob.

"Mom? Dad?" he called.

Beside him, Kurt gave a tiny gasp. The inside was even more exquisite than the exterior. Blaine smirked and closed the door behind them, taking the younger boy's jacket and hanging it in the coat closet, allowing him a moment to take it all in.

"Blaine?" a woman's voice drifted to them from the back. "Is that you? I'm in the family room!"

"Come on!" Blaine grinned, grabbing Kurt's hand and hurrying forward down the hall – passing paintings that Kurt was quite certain he'd studied in Art History last semester – until they came upon a large room filled with plush couches and chairs. A fire crackled welcomingly in the fireplace, and the far wall was comprised entirely of windows that overlooked a small, frozen-over pond. What caught Kurt's attention, however, was the tall pine tree in the corner, and the tiny woman standing before it, her back to them as she attempted to wrap tinsel around the branches.

"Oh, you're here!" Her smile was nearly identical to her son's. She quickly gave up on the silver tinsel and headed towards them. Blaine gently tugged Kurt further into the room. Mrs. Anderson was gorgeous; she wore a cream-colored pencil skirt and a dark red suit jacket, but her feet were clad only in socks. Her shoulder-length hair was light brown and curled in flawless ringlets. Even though she was not Blaine's birth mother (he didn't have one), she still seemed to share some of her son's qualities, like his smile. She only reached Kurt's chin in height, but that did not stop her from pulling him in for a bone-crushing hug.

"You must be Kurt!" she said without preamble.

"Yes, I am," laughed Kurt. She released him and gave her own son a brief hug as well, along with a kiss to his forehead. "Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Anderson!"

"Oh no, please, call me Miss Ritta!" she insisted. "Mrs. Anderson makes me sound so _old_..." Without skipping a beat, she turned to Blaine and added, "Now, why don't you go get us all some drinks from the kitchen? I think there's still some hot cocoa in the cupboard...And tonight definitely feels like a hot cocoa night!"

"Sure," Blaine smiled, brushing his hand across the small of Kurt's back as he stepped away towards a connecting doorway Kurt assumed led to the kitchen. The touch was nothing obvious or conspicuous; just a simple gesture of affection between two people who were so completely comfortable with one another. Nevertheless, it did not go unnoticed by Miss Ritta, and her smile widened.

"Oh, and mom?" Blaine added, pausing in the doorway. "Where's dad?"

Miss Ritta pursed her lips a bit, eyebrows suddenly scrunching together. "I'm afraid he's locked himself away in his study again." And then, seeming to remember that Kurt was still in the room, she quickly added, "But he'll be joining us for dinner! I'm sure he's just very busy right now."

Blaine frowned – it was nearly Christmas, what on Earth could he have to work on so diligently? – but nodded and continued into the kitchen. Kurt was about to start feeling nervous about being left alone with Blaine's mother, but she didn't give him the time to. Instantly, her hand was around his wrist, and she was tugging him towards the tree.

"Now, would you be an angel and help get this tinsel up to the top? I'm afraid I misplaced the stepping stool..."

"Of course!" Kurt answered at once.

"It's great that Blaine's dating such a _tall_ young man!" she gushed cheerfully as she picked up the remaining chain of sparkling silver. "We've always had trouble decorating the top half of the tree...I guess that's a benefit of him being gay! You just can't find all that many tall girls these days..."

Kurt laughed. If she was comfortable enough with Blaine's sexuality that she could joke about it, then he was not worried. It was quite a relief, honestly, to discover that Blaine's mother was almost as accepting as his own father. He'd feared that Blaine's parents would not be supportive of their relationship. It was nice to be disproved.

With Miss Ritta directing, he spent the next few minutes winding the tinsel up the branches. It was a rather tall tree, and he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the peak, but he managed. Meanwhile, he and Miss Ritta chatted idly about all sorts of things – Dalton, the Ohio weather, fashion. He found himself relaxing. She reminded him a lot of Blaine in her mannerisms.

"Isn't he useful?" Blaine teased, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist from behind. Kurt, who had not heard him return, let out a light squeal before leaning back into his embrace.

"Oh, without a doubt!" Miss Ritta grinned. "You should have brought him over earlier when I was trying to dust the bookshelves!"

Blaine laughed. "Careful, Kurt, or you'll end up my mother's chore slave!" He unwrapped his arms and picked up two of the mugs he'd brought in on a tray and set down atop the coffee table. He gave them to his mother and boyfriend and then picked up the third for himself.

"I feel like I should be offended, but I'm not," confessed Kurt, taking an appreciative sip of his drink. Blaine had added peppermint into his; he knew that was how Kurt liked it.

"No, don't be," Blaine assured. "My mother is an event manager – she loves to use people and boss them around. It's just something you'll have to get used to."

"Blaine Anderson!" Miss Ritta pretended to chastise, making the two boys laugh. "I would never _dream_ of using your boyfriend! Not right away, at least," she added jokingly, winking at Kurt over her steaming mug. Kurt noted that her soft green eyes got that same twinkle in them when she smiled that Blaine's hazel ones did. Clearly, that was not something that had to be passed on genetically.

They ended up decorating the tree together after finishing their hot cocoas. Neither Blaine nor Kurt could stop grinning like idiots the entire time. It was so perfect – the three of them, adorning the tree with bobbles and ornaments, chatting and laughing and joking around while darkness descended outside the window and the fire continued to crackle peacefully in the background. It was like one of those stereotypical happy-family scenes straight out of a movie.

…

Miss Ritta left them to finish dinner shortly after finishing the tree. Blaine and Kurt were content to cuddle on the couch in front of the fire until it was ready. When his mother gave them the heads-up, Blaine led Kurt into the dining room – where many important parties had doubtless been held – and pulled out his chair for him. The perfect gentleman. He then sat himself to Kurt's right. Across the table were two places set for his parents.

"This is amazing," Kurt breathed. He spoke quietly, as if afraid talking to loudly would make the chandelier shatter or the silverware rust. "Your mom is so great!"

Blaine chuckled, but he seemed nervous. "Well, mom's cool with my being gay and all, yes, but..." He glanced towards the stairwell, seeming unsure of how to say it. "My dad isn't quite as, uh..._encouraging_."

"He knows though, right?"

"Yes, yes, he knows you're my boyfriend!" Blaine immediately assured. "That's not so much the issue. It's more..."

Kurt took his hand. "What is it?"

Blaine sighed. His voice was apologetic as he murmured, "It would probably be best if we didn't bring up your Turning. Not yet, at least. I don't want you to be around when he finds out we're going to induct a human into the pack..."

"Ah." And now Kurt understood Blaine's worry. "Not a huge fan of dating a human, I assume?" Blaine nodded morosely. "It's okay. I understand."

Just then, Miss Ritta entered from the kitchen carrying a large pot of curry.

"Blaine, go fetch your father, would you?" she asked, setting the food down and instantly heading back towards the kitchen.

"Sure." Blaine stood, gave Kurt a brief kiss on the cheek, and hurried up the stairs. He was back almost at once, looking nervous again. The moment he sat down, his hand found Kurt's. They said nothing more.

Heavy footfalls alerted them to the arrival of Mr. Anderson.

…

**I originally planned to make Blaine's mom super uptight and prissy. But then she appeared with the tinsel and that plan went to hell! Lol but I really enjoy this more energetic, ignorant version. She sort of reminds me of Brittany...Besides, I wanted Blaine to resemble one of his parents. Even if she's not biologically related to him.**

**Should I be worried by how much my characters seem to write themselves?**

**Don't forget to go check out my Tumblr, everyone! :D**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	24. Chapter 24: Blessing

**I've read far too many fics where Blaine's dad is an abusive alcoholic douche. Time to switch it up, eh? :) He's not the ideal father, no, but at least he's not as bad as most I've read.**

**This chapter includes: **MaddHatter10x6**'s quote: _I don't need to try to control you, look into my eyes and I'll own you. _Maroon 5 FTW!**

…

Dinner was going just fine until Mr. Anderson suddenly steered the conversation into dangerous waters.

"So," he began, pinning Kurt from over his glasses with icy blue eyes, "I heard about your involvement in a certain Warbler conflict with some boys passing through..." The offhandedness of his statement only made the atmosphere thicker. Miss Ritta nearly dropped her spoon into her bowl; she clearly had not expected her husband to bring that up. Kurt could feel Blaine tense beside him.

"Yes, sir," Kurt nodded politely, refusing to be intimidated. Although the phrasing was a little obscure, he knew precisely what Mr. Anderson was referring to. "Thad abducted me and made it seem like the wanderers had done it. But luckily they turned themselves in and helped Blaine find me."

Mr. Anderson grunted impassively. "And you...you have no issues with what Blaine is?"

Kurt frowned. Usually a question like that would imply Blaine's sexuality, but seeing as how he was there as Blaine's _boyfriend_, he knew that couldn't be it. "If you're referring to him being a werewolf, then no, of course not." He knew Blaine did not want him to bring this up, but he could not see any way of getting himself out of this conversation. "It's like his sexuality; it's not something he can change."

Miss Ritta's eyes flickered rapidly between Mr. Anderson and Kurt, anxious to see what would unfold. Blaine's hand found Kurt's under the table and squeezed it gently. Kurt squeezed back, silently saying, _Don't worry, I'm not going to go anywhere, no matter what happens tonight._ In the meantime, he matched Mr. Anderson's gaze across the table levelly.

The elder man turned to his son instead. "So, Blaine...You're seventeen. You must have chosen a mate by now, yes? Who did you end up settling with? Trent? Jeff?"

Kurt tensed almost imperceptibly. Blaine's grip on his hand tightened even further, turning borderline painful. They exchanged a glance – questioning from Kurt, determination from Blaine.

"Mom, could you give Kurt a tour of the house?" he asked quietly, calmly, keeping his eyes on his father.

"Of- Of course," Miss Ritta agreed at once, getting to her feet. Kurt gave Blaine's hand a parting squeeze before standing and following her out. They made their silent way back to the living room. The tree stood in the corner just as they'd left it, twinkling happily. The fire had crackled itself to sleep. Miss Ritta paused. "I- Do you actually want a tour?"

Kurt shook his head wordlessly. Simultaneously, they sank down onto the couch. Neither of them could hear anything from the dining room, but they could have fooled someone judging from the way they sat, perched and alert. Nervous. They were waiting for something, they just didn't know what.

Finally, Miss Ritta broke the silence. "So...Am I right in assuming Blaine's Chosen you for his mate, then?"

Another nod, this time accompanied with an involuntary smile.

"And how do you two plan on...I mean, according to the rules..."

Kurt chuckled a little at her struggle to phrase it properly. "I'm going to be Turned at the next full moon." His eyebrows drew together, and he added, "I'm not sure Blaine wanted me to tell you that, actually..."

Miss Ritta giggled. "Don't worry, I won't say a word. Although I'm fairly certain that's what Blaine is telling my husband himself right now..."

"Very likely."

Miss Ritta seemed to contemplate him for a moment. "You're letting yourself be Turned, huh...? You...You're not going anywhere, are you." It was not really a question. She seemed pretty sure of it.

"No," he confirmed, staring straight back at her to show how serious he was. "I- I love your son, ma'am. Even if I _wasn't_ the Singer...I'd _never_ be able to leave him."

She broke into a grin that lit up her whole face. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Kurt. I'm _so_ glad Blaine found you...He deserves to be loved. Loved wholeheartedly and completely. And if that love comes from another man, well..." She shrugged. "That's just how the world works, I guess. And if you're willing to _become_ a..."

"Werewolf," Kurt filled in for her. She flinched ever so slightly.

"Yes. If you're willing to become one for the sole purpose of being with my son, then I'm not worried you're going into this relationship half-assed – excuse my language – and I know you're going to fight just as hard as Blaine will to stay together. And you two will definitely face more than your fair share of struggles, I can assure you of that." Her face darkened with sadness. "But as long as you stick together and trust one another..."

Kurt eyes filled with tears, and he couldn't resist pulling the small woman in for a hug. "Always," he murmured brokenly into his hair. "Blaine means the world to me...I can't even explain it..."

When they pulled away, her eyes were watery as well. She sniffed. "In that case, you shouldn't be worried. All the confusion and the learning and the adapting...You're going to do just fine."

They embraced one another tightly again, both laughing and trying not to cry.

"What was it like for you?" Kurt whispered. "Marrying a werewolf?"

She emitted a small squeak of surprise and drew away. Whether it was from his casual use of the word or from the question itself, he could not tell. But she quickly relaxed. "It's hard," she confessed. "There is so much I had to learn and accept..I _still_ don't know everything there is to know about...about the pack." Kurt recalled Blaine saying something similar. "I only knew Blaine's father for the last two years of his...I mean, when he-"

"His last two years of transforming," Kurt supplied calmly.

"Yes, exactly. So to be completely honest, I pretty much just try not to think about it. Blaine had already been born by the time I met his father. But he was young – he doesn't remember who his other father is, and we never told him. I...I won't lie, sometimes it's hard. There's a lot you won't understand, and a lot of rules to follow." She glanced sideways at him. "But I get the feeling you're not going to be deterred by that..."

Kurt smirked. "I'm pretty hard-headed when I want to be."

The voices began to rise from down the hall. They paused in their conversation in a completely unsubtle attempt to listen in.

"Stop trying to _control_ me, dad! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"I don't need to _try_ and control you! Look into my eyes and I'll _own_ you."

"Like _hell_ you do! _I'm_ the Alpha of the pack now, remember? Not you! _I'm_ the one in control! And I'm sorry I can't be _Gavin_ like I know you want me to be, but this is what you're stuck with!"

"_Don't_ bring Gavin up!" Mr. Anderson bellowed.

"Why not?" was the shouted response. This sounded like it was about to break into World War Three at any second. "You'd rather have him as the Alpha, we both know it! But you just have to get over it, because I'm the leader now, and I'm not asking you – I'm _telling_ you. I'm _going_ to Turn Kurt and he _will_ be my mate and if he so wishes it we're going to get Bound and there's _nothing_ you can do about it! Because I'm _gay_ and the _Alpha_ and in _love_ and-"

There was the sound of something large shattering.

Without a conscious thought, Kurt was on his feet, making his way hurriedly back towards the dining room, ignoring Miss Ritta's faint attempts to call him back, to stop him. He froze in the doorway to take in the room. Blaine and his father were both on their feet, fists curled, facing one another from across the table. A broken vase lay scattered across the floor between Blaine and the wall behind him.

The two men immediately calmed themselves upon Kurt's arrival. Neither of them wanted to be seen by their guest as flustered or out of hand. Mr. Anderson straighten his suit jacket and Blaine ran a hand through his hair. In that one moment, Kurt could see the father-son resemblance between them.

"I'm sorry for our outburst," Mr. Anderson apologized mechanically. He exhaled sharply, once again examining Kurt. "Blaine just informed me of your...plans."

Kurt spoke calmly. "I understand how this must look to you, sir. We appear to be moving _very_ quickly, _very_ irrationally. Am I right?" A suspicious nod. "That's completely expected. Even _I_ thought that, at first! But then I realized that there wasn't anything normal about our relationship, so the 'normal' rules of love don't really apply." He shrugged. Blaine admired him for looking so relaxed when addressing his father. "Yes, your son Chose a human. Yes, I'm being Turned in a little under a month. Yes, I will be a Carrier and his mate. And...Yes, someday we'll very likely be Bound as well."

At this last confirmation, his gaze slid over to Blaine, who lost his breath and nearly fell over from how weak his knees had become.

Mr. Anderson was speechless for a moment, but he snapped himself back together when Miss Ritta appeared behind Kurt in the doorway, looking around nervously as if afraid they would start shouting again. "Well, it's-...It's getting late. Perhaps you should take Kurt home now, Blaine."

Blaine nodded wordlessly and crossed to his boyfriend, wrapping an arm around his waist without even thinking about it and steering him back out into the hallway. His mother stepped aside to let them pass, whispering a warm parting to Kurt and smiling up at him. Just before they disappeared from the doorway, however, Mr. Anderson called out.

"Oh, and Kurt?"

Both of the boys turned back.

"It was nice to meet you. Feel free to come back anytime..."

Blaine's jaw dropped. Miss Ritta looked like she could jump for joy. Kurt, although surprised, bowed his head graciously and said, "Thank you, Mr. Anderson. The pleasure was all mine."

Blaine and Kurt knew that there would be hurdles to jump and opposition to face and rules to follow and lies to hide in their future. But they would face them when they came. Because if they'd learned anything, it was that love was stronger than anything the world could throw at them. So when Blaine drove Kurt home that evening, neither of them spoke of their respective conversations with Blaine's parents. They would, on a future date, but for now, they were content to just be together and bask in the aftermath of what had basically been Mr. Anderson's blessing.

…

**Kurt's transformation in the next chapter! :D Sorry for the filler-esque chapter...I just really love Blaine's mom. Lol**

**Don't forget to go follow me on Tumblr! ;)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	25. Chapter 25: Turning

**Wow. Chapter 25...And here I was thinking this would only go on for 20-or-so chapters ;) Clearly that's not happening. Still got 6 pages of outline to get through...Hope you guys are in this for the long run! :D**

…

Christmas came and went. Kurt and Blaine spent the morning at the Hummel-Hudsons' and then the afternoon at the Andersons'. Family came to visit, presents were exchanged, laughs were shared. Both boys took great pride in introducing one another as 'my boyfriend,' unperturbed by the disapproving frowns it ignited with a couple relatives from both sides. It was still a wonderful Christmas for the two of them.

Kurt's seventeenth birthday was in the first week of January. When Blaine let this piece of information slip during the Warblers' annual New Years Eve party at Jeff's, they all immediately volunteered themselves to provide live entertainment. Suggestions were thrown at him from all sides – renting out an ice rink, flying to Paris, taking a car trip to New York, a bounce house, a pool party, the list went on and on – but he shot them all down politely.

"I just want a nice, quiet night out with my boyfriend and my friends from McKinley," he confessed to Blaine. They were snuggling on the couch near the fireplace while the rest of the Warblers and their dates counted down the last minute of the year.

"Are you sure?" Blaine pressed, holding him closer. Nearby, a rather drunken James knocked over an equally wasted Cameron. "I mean, it's the anniversary of the day the greatest man to ever grace this planet was born...I'm more than willing to go all-out for this!"

Kurt laughed and nudged him in his side gently. The voices around them got louder as they reached the final twenty seconds. "Flattery will get you _nowhere_, Blaine Anderson!" he smirked. "But seriously. We're going to spend many more birthdays together if I have any say about it, so I have no doubt that you'll get the chance to spoil me rotten against my will in the future."

Blaine chuckled and buried his face into the crook of Kurt's neck. "Oh, I have every intention of doing so..." He drew back just enough to look into his eyes. "But...if you just want a small little get-together for this one, then that's what you'll get. I promise."

Kurt grinned.

The countdown ended, and their lips met for the last time of that year, and the first time of the next.

…

The next full moon was January 9. The closer it came, the more Blaine returned to his house to read up on the ritual of Turning someone. Just when he thought he'd read it all, he'd come across a new story or description. He was beginning to feel that he'd never be fully prepared at this rate.

"Hey! Relax!" Kurt commanded when Blaine told him as much. His hand drifted soothingly across Blaine's cheek. "It'll be fine. I trust you. You've been studying those books like a man possessed – you're going to do just fine."

"It's not _me_ I'm worried about!" Blaine pointed out mournfully, collapsing backwards onto Kurt's bed. "It's _you!_ You're the one that's going to be in the most danger. You're trusting me with your _life_, Kurt, which is the number one most important thing to me. I've read so many stories about failed attempts...People dying because their body rejects the werewolf gene...I just- I couldn't handle it if that happened to you! I don't want to kill the most important thing in my entire life-"

"_Breathe_, Blaine!" Kurt ordered firmly, halting his quick ascension into hysteria. As soon as Blaine did as he was told, Kurt took his hands and began again. "Yes, this is dangerous. But we both knew that from the start. You're probably as well-informed as you'll ever be. I know you would never _intentionally_ hurt me, so if I'm in pain tomorrow night, _please_ don't beat yourself up about it. I'm putting my life into your hands because I love you, Blaine, and I have faith in you, and in us. I'm more than willing to endure a night of pain if it means we can be together for the rest of our lives. And besides," he added with a smile. "It's only until we're twenty-five! It's not like we'll be wolves forever. And if, for whatever reason, the Turning goes wrong tomorrow..." He took a deep breath. "It's a chance I'm willing to take. And if I don't make it-"

"Oh god!" Blaine wailed, hands flying to his face.

"_If_ I don't make it!" Kurt repeated forcefully, grabbing his wrists and dragging them apart with surprising strength so that he could look into his eyes. "Just remember that I'm _always_ going to be with you. Even if I'm not here in body. I'm _here_..." His hand drifted down to Blaine's chest and rested over the pulsing heart. "And I always will be. I'll live in your memories. So _you_ have to live so that _I_ can live. Okay? None of this killing-yourself-if-I-don't-make-it nonsense I know you're thinking of..."

Despite the tears streaming down his face, Blaine still managed to smile and kiss him. There was unconditional trust, and hope, and love in that touch.

Neither of them had any idea what was to come the following night.

…

The night of the full moon was calm and cloudless. A good sign, according to Wes. As soon as curfew befell the dormitories, and the hall monitors turned in for the evening, the Warblers snuck out and traveled deep into the woods. Blaine kept a firm hand in Kurt's, who could not see in the dark as well as the rest of them could.

The Council members led the ceremony, as was tradition. (They had done their own research at their respective houses, and were almost as knowledgeable as Blaine. Almost.) The proper words were said at the proper times. Kurt hardly heard them. His ears were ringing, his heart going a thousand miles per hour, his entire body shivering a little from nerves. Blaine put a comforting arm around him.

Kurt gave his official consent. The circle was formed. The time had come.

Blaine stepped forward, then turned and held out a hand for Kurt to join him in the center. The countertenor found himself smiling a little, despite his growing fear. He was eager to finally be able to become Blaine's mate. He just had to get through tonight...

"You ready?" Blaine whispered. The entire forest seemed to hold its breath, watching. Waiting. Even the wind stilled. The Warblers shifted a little, eyes locked upon the couple intently.

"I was born ready," Kurt responded automatically. "Do it, Blaine..."

Blaine gazed into his eyes with nothing but adoration and affection and apology for the pain that was to come, before taking a step back and transforming. Kurt didn't even blink anymore from it. Those huge hazel eyes shone in the moonlight as he leaned closer. Kurt tilted his head to offer a better target. His heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest. His eyes closed. He could feel the heat of Blaine's mouth at his shoulder.

There was a split second of hesitation. And then the tips of teeth pierced his skin, and he could feel something seeping into him. He winced. It was like getting stabbed in multiple places around his left shoulder with sharpened pencils. He wondered if he was bleeding. He couldn't tell. His mind was going fuzzy. All he could concentrate on was the venom making its way through his bloodstream, paralyzing him. His eyes flew open, and a cry riped from his throat, echoing through the woods, making the wildlife flee. He was vaguely aware of the teeth finally releasing him, and feeling his legs immediately give out from underneath him. Somebody – _Blaine?_ – was calling his name. It sounded miles away.

Kurt's breathing hitched. Searing pain was quickly spreading throughout his body, pumping through his veins, setting his nerves on fire. His eyes were wide, but his vision remained black, darkness. It was too much. He was going to explode from shear excruciating pain if it didn't stop soon. But as the seconds dragged on, it only increased. This was no hickey. Hickeys were playful, ticklish. Hickeys made him blush and giggle. Hickeys were innocent marks from his boyfriend, reminding him and the world that they were together.

But this...? This was _pure hell_.

…

Blaine transformed back at once, falling to his knees in the snow and pulling his boyfriend into his lap. The younger boy seemed to be in a daze. His body would twitch violently, and shrieks would be torn from his mouth, but apart from that he did nothing. His normally blue and green eyes had darkened to a deep navy, staring unseeingly into space. They were blank and dry. Blaine's weren't, though. He was hardly aware of the tears falling down his face, only noticing them in earnest when one landed on Kurt's cheek. He brushed it away gently. Kurt's entire head snapped away, and another cry filled the air. It crushed Blaine's heart into a fine powder.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Nick demanded desperately. Jeff moved to put his arms around him consolingly. They were both staring at Kurt with watery eyes, positively emanating sympathy and worry and regret. Blaine wanted to kill them. _They_ didn't have to go through this. _They'd_ never know the kind of pain he was feeling right now, holding the love of his life in his arms and knowing he could do absolutely _nothing_ to help.

"Kurt's body is trying to deal with the poison," Wes whispered, not caring who was actually paying attention to him. They were all still watching the boy writhe, long legs kicking frantically across the powdery snow in a horrific imitation of a snow angel. And he _was_ an angel. To them, at least. And their angel was suffering before their very eyes. "It's up to him. All we can do is wait and try to make him as comfortable as possible."

At this, David remembered the large picnic basket they'd lugged out with them. He dove for it and quickly withdrew a large comforter he'd stolen from the linen closets.

"Here," he murmured softly, kneeling beside Blaine. "This'll keep him warm..."

Blaine said nothing. Working silently, they wrapped the boy up in the thick blanket. This constricted his jolts somewhat. David brought the second blanket over and laid it out at the base of a nearby tree. Blaine crawled on top and cradled Kurt to him, crying noiselessly, praying to whatever deity would listen to him to get Kurt through this quickly. It would have been better to get him back to Dalton, but they knew his screaming would wake the entire campus in no time. It was not an option. They could not take him near any civilization until this was all over.

How it would end, though, was a mystery.

…

**Not gonna lie...I cried a bit writing this. Just picturing Kurt, cocooned in a blanket and twitching every so often and occasionally shrieking in pain, and all Blaine can do is sit there in the snow with his arms around him and wait it out...it just kills me! (Of course, as the author I suppose I could have changed it. But let's be honest – when have I _ever_ been able to control anything? ;D)**

**P.S. Did you notice that I used the passage from the very first chapter at long last? :D**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	26. Chapter 26: Sing for Me

**This chapter was thanks to crappy coffee, my sleep-deprived subconscious Yelah, and my psycho mother who kicked me out of the house during her autumn cleaning. I wrote half of it at the local coffee shop while 'babysitting' Yelah. Be thankful ;) (Get it? THANKSgiving? LOL god I kill myself...)**

**This chapter includes: **Sweet Clementine**'s request for some Wevid bromance ;D Sorry it's not much...I felt like drawing it out a lot would sort of ruin the moment.**

…

Time passed. Blaine could not honestly tell how much.

He remained where he was, back against the tree, not caring that the chill of the snow was seeping through the blanket and numbing his lower half. All he cared about was the boy in his arms. He held onto him tightly, hunched close to try and shield him from the frigid January night, moving only when a particularly violent jerk of the legs unwrapped Kurt's blanket. Soothing, pleading whispers were murmured into Kurt's ear after every cry of pain.

As midnight came and went, it seemed that his screaming was dying out. Whether this was because his body was finally accepting the venom or because his voice was weakening, Blaine could not be sure. Considering the spasms were still in full force and Kurt had begun to whimper a little before and after each shout, however, the latter seemed more likely.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of Wes getting his consent to send the rest of the Warblers back to Dalton. There was no point making them all freeze out there as they played the torturous waiting game. The Council remained, however.

"You guys can go," he muttered hoarsely, briefly tightening his arms as Kurt thrashed. It was just as fleeting as the others, but no less painful to experience secondhand. "There's nothing you can do...There's nothing _I_ can do..."

Jeff crouched beside him, frowning in sympathy. He understood how hard it must be for Blaine to be there, watching the love of his life suffer – possibly _dying_ – without being able to do anything to help. "I'm not leaving until Kurt's transformation is complete," he said firmly.

Wes and David nodded their agreement.

Blaine latched onto Jeff's gaze, and the blond was startled to see the desperation, the doubt, the hopelessness in his Alpha's eyes. This wasn't their strong, fearless, levelheaded leader. This was a teenage boy, terrified of loosing his reason for living. "What if he doesn't wake up?" Blaine breathed brokenly.

And there it was. The question none of them could answer.

Jeff glanced down at Kurt. "He _is_ awake," he pointed out gently, attempting to postpone the inevitable.

Blaine shook his head. "Not really..." he argued. And he was right. Kurt's eyes were open, it was true, but they saw nothing, conveyed nothing. If it weren't for the yelling and movement, he could have already passed for deceased.

Jeff sighed. A quiet whimper, and then a sharp, piercing scream came from the brunette. Blaine's tears began to fall in earnest, freezing in their tracks on his cheeks. It broke Jeff's heart to see his friend so torn up.

"Blaine, we're just going to have to believe in him..." Jeff consoled, a hand on his shoulder. "Kurt's strong. And stubborn. Do you really think he'd go down without a fight?"

Much to to the Council's relief, that brought out a small smile on Blaine's face. He sniffed and brushed his tears away.

"No," he agreed, gazing down at his boyfriend lovingly. "He'll make it through. You hear that, sweetie? You can do it. _Please_. You've got to beat this. You've _got_ to."

Jeff moved back to join David and Wes, who were trying to conserve heat in the least 'couple-y' way possible. Jeff couldn't help but snort at the sight.

"You guys don't have to hide your bromantia from me," he teased. "I promise, I won't mock you. Much."

They glowered at him but did not move from their awkwardly intimate huddle. Jeff made a mental note to taunt them for it later when their Alpha was not on the verge of a break down and their Singer was not on the doorstep of death.

And then a scent came upon the light breeze that they all recognized almost at once.

Sure enough, from between the trees, stepped Kellan Cambridge.

"Kellan!" Wes gasped. "What're you-?"

"You bit him?" Kellan demanded of Blaine, ignoring the Council members completely. They could not bring themselves to be offended, though. The older man knelt down beside the Alpha, his gaze piercing, disapproving.

"I- Yes!" Blaine answered.

Kellan exhaled sharply and leaned forward to examine Kurt. Just as he did so, the countertenor gave a jolt. Kellan's eyes went wide.

"How long ago?" he pressed, pulling Kurt into his own grasp effortlessly. Blaine bit back his protest. If anybody could help Kurt now, it was Kellan.

"I- I don't know, two hours? Maybe three?" he guessed. He watched Kellan as he examined Kurt's unresponsive eyes, his pulse, the inside of his mouth. Frowning the whole time. "What? What is it?"

Kellan sighed again. "Most successful Turnings only take an hour, maybe two at most. He doesn't show any signs of recovery yet."

Blaine felt his heart crumble to pieces in his chest, felt his stomach twist itself into an irreparable knot, felt his lungs clench up, felt his eyes prick. Suddenly, the cold of the night seemed to seep into his very core.

"You mean he's-?" But he could not finish that sentence.

Kellan fixed him with a grimace. "I mean if he's going to make it through – and right now his chances aren't looking too good – he'd going to need more help than just a blanket and some words of comfort he can't even hear."

Blaine almost threw up.

"What do we need to do?" Jeff stepped in for him.

Kellan hoisted Kurt into his strong arms and stood. The boy gasped – a new sound that caught all of their attentions. "Whose house is closest? Somewhere preferably far from other people."

"Mine," David answered immediately. "I live here in Westerville, and my neighbors are pretty far away. My parents would understand..."

Kellan nodded. "Blaine, come on, transform!"

Blaine did not question it. He reverted into wolf form in a heartbeat. Kellan eased Kurt's body onto his back, leaping up behind him without permission. Normally Blaine would have been offended at having somebody apart from Kurt use him as transportation, but he let it slide. There were far more important things to focus on. Like Kurt.

"Lead the way," Kellan instructed David.

The Council quickly transformed, and the lean black wolf took the lead as they shot off through the woods.

_'Has Kellan turned twenty-five, then?'_ Jeff asked.

_'I guess so...'_ Wes offered.

_'How did he know we were going to Turn Kurt tonight?' _was David's question.

_'It is a full moon,'_ Wes pointed out. _'All major werewolf rituals happen on a full moon...'_

_'It doesn't matter,' _snarledBlaine._ 'He's here now. And he can help. That's all that matters.'_

There was a brief silence, apart from the steady thuds of their footfalls.

And then, out of the mist, an unmistakable groan.

Blaine nearly burst into tears of relief. _'It's Kurt!'_ he gasped unnecessarily, twisting his head back to glance at the limp boy on his back, wrapped in Kellan's steady arms. _'You guys heard him too, right?'_

_'Maybe this means he's Turning!'_ Jeff sounded almost as eager as Blaine.

_'Kurt?'_ Blaine tried tentatively. _'Kurt, baby, can you hear me? Can you talk to me? Come on, honey, you can do it! Just say something! Anything!'_

There was a suspenseful pause. And then another quiet moan that sounded suspiciously like 'hurts'. Nothing more.

They did not try to get him to talk again. David's house was coming up. They slowed to a stop a little ways away and made the rest of the distance on foot, Kurt still in Kellan's arms despite Blaine's offer to carry him. David had been right; the next house over was a good fifty or sixty feet away. The residents would not hear Kurt's screams. David let them in through the back door and showed them into the living room before disappearing upstairs to explain everything to his parents. Meanwhile, Kellan set Kurt down carefully on one of the couches and began ordering the other two around (Wes had remained outside). Jeff went on a search for blankets and pillows, and Blaine hurried into the kitchen and returned with a warm, damp washcloth. Kellan used the pillows to prop Kurt up into an almost-sitting position, covering him in multiple blankets and drowning his jerks in the sea of fabric. The damp cloth was pressed to his face.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jeff murmured.

Kellan leaned down and listened to Kurt's heart. "It's hard to say," was his careful answer, clearly not willing to give them any false hope. "He's not showing any signs of worsening, but he doesn't seem to be getting much better either." He bent next to Kurt's ear and said clearly, "Can you hear me?"

"He- We could hear him when we were in wolf form!" Blaine recalled.

Kellan looked up, startled. "Then what are you doing in human form?" he snapped angrily. "He needs support! We've got to communicate with him in any way possible! Hurry!"

They both immediately transformed again. David came downstairs just as Kurt gave another wrenching scream.

"My parents know what's going on," he informed them solemnly, looking a little flustered. "They're going to stay upstairs." And with that, he transformed as well without question.

"Can you hear him?" Kellan demanded.

Blaine took a step forward, nudging Kurt's good shoulder gently with his nose. _'Kurt? Kurt, baby, can you hear me? It's Blaine...'_

Another groan. Jeff nodded to Kellan. Blaine sat himself down beside the couch so that he was at eye-level with Kurt. His head rested against Kurt's side. The blank blue gaze was like a knife to his chest. He could hear Kurt's faint, uneven heartbeat echoing in his sensitive ears.

"Encourage him," Kellan muttered. "Try and get him to say where it hurts the most. It could be that the venom is congealing somewhere in his bloodstream."

_'Come on, sweetie, talk to me,' _Blaine coerced softly. _'You can do it. You're strong. You can fight this. Just tell me where it hurts, okay? Tell me and I'll make it all go away. I promise. Kurt, baby? Talk to me. Please!'_

There was a bit of incoherent mumbling, and then at last Kurt's hazy, weak voice came through and Blaine began to cry again because he'd started to fear that he'd never be able to hear that magical voice ever again. Yet there it was. Weak, but undeniably _alive_. _'Blaine? Can- Can you hear me?'_

_'Yes!'_ he practically sobbed happily, licking Kurt's face. Kurt's eyes seemed to flash with something, but before Blaine got a good look, it was gone._ 'Yes, babe, I'm here. I can hear you.'_

_'It hurts...'_ Kurt whimpered.

_'Where?' _he pressed, trying to stay strong for Kurt's sake.

_'Everywhere...'_ murmured Kurt. And then, after a moment, _'My shoulder. It's on fire, Blaine. Why hasn't anybody put out the fire? It's- I can't-...'_

_'Sssh,'_ he soothed, nuzzling against him. _'It's going to be alright. We're going to put out the fire. You just need to bare with it for a little bit more, okay? Just hold in there for a little while longer. Can you do that for me, Kurt?'_

_'Yeah,' _Kurt groaned.

David transformed back to human form in order to convey Kurt's words to Kellan. The older man seemed relieved. "That's progress," he explained. He removed Kurt's scarf carefully and pulled away the neck of his sweater, which now had holes in the shoulder from where Blaine's teeth had ripped through.

The room gasped.

"Blaine, help me get this off." Kellan's voice was darker than ever. Blaine transformed at once. Together, they worked swiftly but gently to peel off Kurt's sweater, and then his vest and long-sleeved shirt, leaving him in his plain white undershirt. Blaine choked on a sob. The puncture marks where his teeth had broken through Kurt's skin were lost in a large patch of still-drying blood. It took up nearly his whole shoulder, even though the actual holes were not very big. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it, hadn't smelled it, hadn't realized that something was very wrong. Within the actual wounds, he could see a thick black substance, preventing the bite marks from closing up.

The venom.

"Kellan," Blaine breathed.

"I know." Kellan's hand ghosted over Kurt's shoulder. The boy's body jerked away. Jeff whined and bit at Blaine's jacket sleeve sharply, trying to make them stop.

_'Blaine!'_ Jeff could hear Kurt screech blindly. _'Blaine, make it stop! Make it stop! Oh god, I can't handle it! It hurts! Please, jesus, just make it _stop_ already!'_

_'Blaine's trying to help!' _Jeff tried to reassure, masking his own panic. He caught the Alpha's eye and conveyed Kurt's pain wordlessly to him. Blaine looked about ready to bite himself until he bled to death.

_'Just hang in there, Kurt,' _David attempted to help. He backed up a little bit involuntarily, unable to handle the amount of pain he was experiencing secondhand. _'Blaine's going to make it go away soon.'_

The only response was another loud cry.

"David, go get some wet towels and ice," Kellan commanded, hand resting on Kurt's feverish forehead now. The dark-skinned boy transformed and gratefully hurried away.

And then something came to Kellan. A thought that made him pause, and study Kurt's shoulder contemplatively. "Blaine...Kurt's the Singer, yes?" A curious nod. "Okay, I'm not positive this will work but...It's worth a shot." He stood up. "Blaine, I need to you to get Kurt to Sing."

Blaine gaped up at him. "What the hell for?" His hand subconsciously slipped into Kurt's unresponsive one. "That'd just hurt him _more_! Both because his throat is already raw, and because if he can talk to us in wolf form, it means the Song will have the same affect on himself."

"I don't think it will, though." Kellan shook his head. "The venom clearly hasn't been absorbed yet. If we can get him to Sing, the gene may be temporarily weakened enough for his body to take control over it!" And then, as an afterthought, he added, "Besides, Singers are never affected by their own Song, regardless of whether they're a werewolf or not."

Blaine's eyes widened. "Kellan, you're a _genius_!" He reverted to wolf form in a flash. _'Jeff, how is he?'_

_'Blaine!'_ a frantic Kurt whimpered. _'Blaine, is that you?'_

_'I'm here,' _he soothed.

_'He's in so much pain right now,'_ Jeff whispered brokenly. Blaine could tell how much this was affecting the blond.

_'Jeff, it's okay. I got this. You can transform back if you'd like.' _And then, not caring if he did or not, Blaine returned his attention to Kurt. _'Kurt, baby? Can you do something for me? I think we __figured out a way to make the pain go away.'_

_'Wh-What?'_

_'I need to you Sing for me, my love.'_

_'Y-You mean...?'_ Kurt's body thrashed. Kellan held him down through the blankets.

_'Yes.' _He brushed his muzzle against Kurt's cheek. _'Can you do that?'_

_'It- It'll hurt you, though!'_

Blaine's heart shattered. Even when he was in such excruciating pain, he was still thinking of others first. It absolutely killed him. _'It's okay, sweetie. I'll be fine. I promise. Just Sing, okay?'_ He would more than willingly spend the rest of his life under the effects of the Song if it meant keeping Kurt alive.

_'O-Okay...' _he agreed. David returned then with the towels and ice, and Kellan grabbed them just as Kurt took a deep, unsteady breath. Everybody in the room froze.

And then Kurt opened his mouth wide and Sang.

…

**Hallelujah for Jeff. I just want to marry that boy! *ugly crying***

**Long chapter to make up for long delay? Haha but seriously, this chapter would not be possible if it weren't for getting kicked out of the house and drinking god awful coffee with Yelah. I started bawling there in the coffee shop. No joke. Awkward mascara smears and pen marks on my face..._so_ worth it.**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	27. Chapter 27: Pajamas

**Written while my subconscious Yelah was three feet away talking to a soccer scouter.**

**Yeah. I'm _that_ good.**

…

Jeff, Kellan and David watched Kurt closely for any sign of change. Blaine, on the other hand, fruitlessly flattened his ears to his scalp and sank down to the floor with a pitiful little whine. Judging from the similar noise from outside, Wes was not faring much better.

He had stayed outside when they'd arrived, going pretty much unnoticed, as was his intention. But now David slipped out after him. He patted his friend comfortingly on the shoulder, and Wes's tail swished once through the grass as an indication that he was grateful for David's company. The taller boy always knew how sensitive Wes was to others' pain. It was probably torture to stand by and watch Kurt suffer. Possibly as much as it hurt Blaine. Just possibly.

But there was nothing much that either of them could do. So David sat down in the grass beside the wolf, and together they waited.

Meanwhile, indoors, Kurt's eyes widened and something flashed through the previously emotionless blue orbs. Pain? Even so, it was still progress. Kellan wrapped some ice cubes up in a towel and pressed it to Kurt's forehead. The boy quieted. Then coughed.

"His throat is raw," Kellan muttered to himself, loud enough for the others to hear, readjusting the makeshift icepack and brushing Kurt's bangs back. If somebody were to walk in at that moment, they could have easily been convinced that Kurt simply had a bad cold. Nothing more. Until they saw the werewolf, of course. But it was still reassuring to get some sort of reaction from the boy, even if it _was_ pain. It meant that his body was finally beginning to regain control over itself.

_'Blaine...?'_ Kurt murmured. His voice seemed more distant. Blaine wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not._ 'Are you...?'_

_'I'm here. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Are you okay?'_

_'Blaine, it's...it's going away!'_ There was a sense of awe in his voice. Blaine saw his gorgeous green-tinted beacons of blue shine and flicker across the ceiling, almost as if searching for something. Blaine turned to the others with hopeful eyes, conveying the progress to them without words. He then nudged Kurt's neck encouragingly. The boy moaned. _'I can feel it in my blood, Blaine...I can feel it _in_ me! It's everywhere...It's coming from my shoulder and it's going _everywhere_...'_

_'Does it still hurt a lot, Kurt?'_

There was a pause. Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep, rattling breath. _'Not at much...'_ His voice was quiet, as if he was talking from miles away._ 'Blaine...I'm going to make it, aren't I?'_

Blaine laughed in ecstasy. _'You are, my love. You're going to be just fine now.'_

_'I love you, Blaine...'_

_'I love you more, Kurt. I love you so, _so_ much!'_ he breathed in a rush, wanting him to hear it before they lost mental contact.

When he heard nothing more, he returned to human form. Kellan pulled the ice away to check his temperature. The ice was relocated to his cheek. Kurt moaned and his expression scrunched into a grimace. "He's getting his responses back," Kellan observed aloud for Blaine and Jeff's benefit. "As long as the venom doesn't act up again, I think he should be fine. We just have to make sure his blood continues to flow properly and the venom doesn't conjugate anywhere."

"How can we help?" Jeff inquired.

Kellan set the blond to work massaging Kurt's limbs to keep the blood flowing everywhere before propping Kurt up a bit more against the pillows and placing the ice against his forehead again. "Blaine," he instructed, "Talk to him. I think he can probably hear you now. At this point, it's mostly a mental battle to be fought. He needs moral support now."

And so for the next half hour, that's exactly what they did. David and Wes came back in and expressed their relief at Kurt's improvement. His fever gradually went down, his face became more expressive, and by the time the grandfather clock struck two, he could give intelligible responses to Blaine's constant encouragement.

"I think it's probably best to take him back to Dalton now," Kellan advised. He checked Kurt's shoulder one final time. They had cleaned up the blood and the venom was no longer visible. The puncture marks were already beginning to scab over. Things were looking good. Still, he wrapped it up in gauze just to be on the safe side. "Let him sleep in a proper bed."

Blaine nodded. He could tell that the Council was practically asleep on their feet already. Wes was leaning heavily on David, and Jeff seemed to have passed out on Kurt's ankles. Blaine bent down and pressed a kiss to Kurt's cheek before helping him back into his shirt, vest, and sweater. The scarf was wound around his neck delicately. Kurt mumbled a little as Blaine slipped his arms under him and lifted him off the couch, bridal style, the blankets sliding off him.

"Kellan..." Blaine turned back to the young man. "Are-...Aren't you coming with us?" He knew Kurt would kill him if he let Kellan leave before he could thank him personally. "You know, just in case something happens?"

Kellan hesitated. He seemed reluctant. But in the end he agreed. The six of them arrived back at Dalton a little before three. Jeff immediately retreated to his and Nick's room to collapse. Wes let David go to sleep and led Kellan to one of the guest rooms on that floor. Blaine carried Kurt to his single and set him down on his bed, not bothering to turn on the lights. The boy was already sound asleep. Blaine brushed a hand across Kurt's forehead, his cheek, his throat.

_I don't care _how_ willing Kurt is. I'm _never_ putting us through something like that ever again._

…

Kurt awoke utterly discombobulated.

He had no idea what time it was, or where he was, or what had happened last night, or what day of the week it was. He was exhausted; he wouldn't have been surprised to discover he'd slept for days. He rolled over and immediately flinched when a sharp shock of pain jolted through his left shoulder. He pulled back his pajama top – which he had absolutely no recollection of putting on – and gazed down at the white bandage in bemusement.

His door opened slowly, and he squinted against the light that cut across his bedroom.

"Hey, baby, you up?"

"Blaine...!" he murmured, blinking away his sleepiness and trying to focus on his boyfriend's face. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he hadn't seen him in months. And even though Blaine had spoken quietly, he could hear him with a surprising amount of clarity. "Yeah, I- I'm awake. Come in."

Blaine slipped through the doorway and closed it behind him, once more plunging the room into near-darkness. He crossed to Kurt's windows and grabbed the curtains, but paused, glancing over to Kurt questioningly. Kurt nodded. Blaine slowly pulled the drapes apart. Blinding sunlight promptly exploded through the room.

"Oh my god, what time is it?" he moaned, burying his face in his hands.

Blaine chuckled. "A little after noon. Classes just got out for lunch."

Kurt gasped. "Oh no! I missed morning lessons? Why didn't you wake me? I need to-" He stood, but suddenly the room seemed to swim, and he stumbled.

And then Blaine was there, steadying him. He eased Kurt back down onto his bed, hand brushing through his hair soothingly, as if he'd done this a thousand times. Kurt sighed and buried himself into Blaine's chest, loving the comfort he found there.

"You shouldn't be moving around too much yet," Blaine advised softly. His voice was crystal clear in Kurt's ear, even though he was definitely talking in a hushed whisper. "It's going to take some time to adjust."

"To what?" Kurt asked.

Blaine pulled back a bit. "Doesn't everything feel sort of...extreme?"

Kurt gasped. Something in his brain finally clicked. "Is- Is it because I'm a-?" Blaine's smile was answer enough. Kurt let out a cheer of delight and flung his arms around Blaine's neck, his excitement bubbling over and easing the pain that shot through his shoulder at the movement. It made sense now. He'd been bitten, and now his senses were going haywire as they became way more powerful.

"How are you feeling?" Blaine murmured, kissing his cheek.

Kurt thought about it. "Sore," he answered honestly. "And everything is so loud and bright and-" He sniffed. "My _god_ you smell incredible!"

Blaine roared with laughter. His arms tightened around him and he leaned down for a proper kiss.

"Now you know how _I_ felt when we first met!" he said, shoulders still shaking with amusement. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while. It'll just take some time." His hand came up to stroke Kurt's cheek. The touch made Kurt shiver with anticipation. "And I'll be here to help you, every step of the way, of course."

Kurt beamed. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He drew closer and captured Blaine's mouth in another, more passionate kiss, which he was more than willing to reciprocate. Kurt was overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through him. He had thought being a seventeen-year-old boy was hormonal enough. But _this_...This was otherworldly. He could _sense_ Blaine, his very presence, his soul and essence. It was like a magnet.

"We- We should get down to lunch," Blaine finally broke away, breathing a little heavily. His body was screaming for them to continue, but he knew that if he let it go on any longer, he would not be able to control himself. And there was no way Kurt would have any restraint – he was a Newly Turned; he had yet to get full control of his senses, of his emotions.

Kurt pouted. But then he realized how hungry he was, and decided not to argue. "Just let me change..." He stood – this time slowly and carefully – and made his way over to his wardrobe. Just as he was about to head into the bathroom, though, he paused and glanced back at Blaine curiously. "Hey..."

"Yes?"

"Last night..." He glanced down at himself, and his cheeks heated up. "I- I don't remember putting on any pajamas..."

Blaine smiled, but said nothing.

"Oh."

And with that, Kurt escaped into his bathroom.

…

**Got this up before Thanksgiving! Gotta give myself props for that...*presents self with gold star* Now excuse me while I eat my weight in stuffing and potatoes.**

**MAY YOUR TURKEY FLY FREE LIKE PETER PAN ON CRACK!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	28. Chapter 28: Memories

**Confession time: The last three chapters have only gotten through one bullet point on my outline. And my outline is still seven pages long. Why do I do this to myself? Lol**

**This chapter includes: **MusicalEscape**'s quote: _I read it on the internet, therefore it must be true!_ As well as **Krustel**'s quote: _Eating and sleeping are my favorite hobbies. You can do them anywhere and anytime you want._**

…

"Kurt!" the Warbler table practically exploded when they spotted the brunette down in the cafeteria twenty minutes later. Then, remembering that they were in public, they sat back down and lowered their voices.

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you doing alright now?"

"Are you still in pain?"

"Why are you out of bed?"

"Are you hungry? Here, have some blueberries! They give you a lot of energy! I read it on the internet – it _must_ be true!"

"_Guys!_" Blaine finally hushed them, gently guiding Kurt into an empty chair. The Newly Turned chuckled at their frantic attention and accepted the food shoved in front of him from all angles. "Let him breathe."

"You guys are acting like I was on my deathbed or something," Kurt teased.

The table went morose.

Kurt looked around at their uneasy faces, then rounded on his boyfriend. Blaine was staring a hole into the tabletop, avoiding his gaze.

"Blaine!" he hissed sharply. The older boy took a shaky breath and finally glanced up at him, abashed. "What the hell _happened_ last night?"

"You mean you- you don't _remember?_" Nick burst out. Jeff quickly shushed him. The blond was studying Kurt closely, almost as if expecting him to faint on the spot. It was unnerving. Kurt tried to bring back any memories of the previous night, but all that he could remember after the bite was the darkness, and the fire under his skin.

He shuddered.

"Kurt, it's fine," Blaine muttered firmly, wrapping an arm around his waist. "You don't have to remember anything. In fact, it's probably better you don't. It wasn't...It wasn't anything I'd _want_ you to have a good recollection of."

He, Wes, David, and Jeff all exchanged knowing glances. And in that one fleeting second, the Alpha and the Council members came to a silent agreement. They would say nothing of the horrors of Kurt's almost-failed Turning. Nobody would ever know the extent of his suffering, apart from them. They would keep their mouths shut. If the memories were going to haunt them – and judging from the shadows under Wes's eyes, the nightmares had already begun – then it was best that they were not inflicted on any of the others. Especially Kurt.

"Um, so, Kurt!" Trent tried to change the subject. "What do you feel like doing now? I highly doubt Blaine's going to let you go to afternoon classes." A snort from Kurt's right and a tightening around his waist supported this assumption.

"Sleep." Kurt confessed. "And eat. Eating and sleeping are my favorite hobbies. You can do them anywhere and anytime you want..."

And with that, he took a bite out of the pear he'd been given by Andrew and curled into Blaine's chest. The table chuckled at the simplicity of his request and returned to their regular conversations. Blaine stayed out of it for the most part, preferring to nibble on an egg salad sandwich and stroke his fingers through Kurt's hair, still reveling in the fact that Kurt was there, in his arms, alive and content. No regrets. No horrid memories.

"He looks so peaceful..."

Blaine grinned at Jeff's words. "He does," he agreed.

"He honestly doesn't remember anything, does he." It was not a question.

"No." Blaine shook his head. "And I hope it stays that way." He turned to face the blond, whose legs were draped over Nick's lap. "I'm sorry, Jeff. I know it wasn't easy for you..."

Jeff shook his head. But there was nothing he could say. Nick, seeming to understand without even needing to be told, curled his boyfriend up in his arms and murmured sweet nothings into his ear until Jeff's shoulders stopped shaking. The guilt clawed at Blaine's insides. Wes and David seemed to have come to a silent agreement to forget about it as best they can. He admired their strength. And it made him appreciate them all that much more.

The bell for classes to begin again echoed around the room.

Kurt snapped up. "I have a test!" he panicked.

Blaine laughed. "Then it's a good thing you're not taking it today." He stood, pulling Kurt to his feet.

"But- But I can't! I don't have an excuse!"

"Oh, but you do."

Kurt frowned at Blaine's expression.

"What'd you do?" he pressed. Blaine was leading them back towards his room.

"I- When you were asleep, I called your father." Kurt blanched, but Blaine went on. "I- I told him that you were Turned. And that you needed some rest. So he called the school and excused you from today's classes. But...We, um, we have to go see him this weekend. I promised."

Kurt sighed heavily. That was not an encounter he was looking forward to.

"Oh!" Blaine suddenly stopped walking. "I almost forgot! We've got to go find Kellan!"

Kurt stared at him as if worried for his sanity. "_Kellan?_" he repeated cluelessly. "Kellan Cambridge? Why on Earth...?"

Blaine sighed and ran a hand over his hair, remembering too late that he'd gelled it that morning._ Oh well_. "He- He was a really big help last night. With...With your Turning." He watched Kurt closely, worried that the memories would suddenly come back to him. Luckily, the confusion remained, now tinted with a little bit of understanding.

"Then yes, let's go!" He turned and headed back for the staircase. "Do you think he's gone far?"

"No," Blaine decided as they made their way down to the Main Hall. "He slept in one of the guest rooms here." And at this Kurt's eyebrow rose in surprise. "I made him promise to stick around until you woke up." Then something came to him, and with a scheming smirk, he leaned in and murmured, "This can give you some excellent practice, actually..."

"Practice?" echoed Kurt. They stepped outside. Nobody paid them any attention, despite the fact that the late bell was about to ring and most of the students had already arrived at their first afternoon class. Kurt was immediately bombarded with all the smells and noises. _Seriously, how do these guys handle it?_

Blaine paused, placing his hands on Kurt's shoulders. Kurt flinched at the pressure on his bandages, and Blaine instantly released his left hand. Then he gave a quiet, simple command in Kurt's ear. "Find him."

Kurt gaped at him. He waited for the Alpha to laugh and tell him it was just a joke, but Blaine continued to smile expectantly. And so, still a little dazed, Kurt turned back towards the forest, closed his eyes, and tried to focus.

He could hear positively _everything_. He could hear the squirrels skittering across the branches; he could hear the soft, soft crunch of snow under tiny paws; he could hear the occasional thump of falling snow piles; he could hear the chirping of the few birds that had stayed to endure the frigid Ohio winter. And the smells were no better.

But then he caught something.

"Oh!" he gasped, taking an involuntary step back. Blaine's arms were around him at once. Kurt had practically _seen_ the man. "I- Over there!"

Blaine grinned proudly and led the way towards the trees Kurt had indicated. They did not have to go far before Kellan stopped and began heading to meet them. Kurt was almost a little unnerved at being able to sense his presence before actually _seeing_ him emerge from between the trees.

"I see you're doing better," was his greeting.

"Uh," was Kurt's intelligent response. He had no recollection of Kellan's apparent help the previous night, which made him feel almost ungrateful. "Yes. I'm fine."

"His shoulder is still a little sore, but that'll ease with time," Blaine added.

Kellan nodded, seeming pleased. "Good. That's good to hear. I'm glad."

"I- I'm sorry!" Kurt said in a rush. "I don't- I don't honestly remember last night. But apparently you really helped me, so...Thank you."

Blaine was startled to see that Kellan was not taken aback by this confession. The older man just nodded and smiled. "Don't mention it. Happy to be of service. I'll be off now; just wanted to make sure you got through the night alright before I left." He turned.

"Thank you," Blaine whispered, just loud enough to ensure that Kellan heard him. "I can't tell you how grateful I am...If there's _anything_ I can do to repay you..."

Kellan paused, then turned back. He looked torn. His eyes found Kurt's. "Just...Take care of him, okay? Kurt's..." He sighed. "I need Kurt to survive."

Blaine's eyebrows scrunched together. "Why?"

"Yes," Kurt agreed. "Why?"

"Because..." Kellan ran a hand through his mess of golden curls and sighed again. "Because I have a debt to repay. To your mother."

Kurt blanched. "My mom?" Blaine put a steadying arm around his waist.

"To Tambri, yes." Kellan shifted on his feet, looking uneasy, as if he had not intended to explain this to him. Ever. "When- When I heard of her attack, I-...I felt awful. Guilty beyond all belief. And I swore to myself that if I ever met you, I'd help protect you in any way I can."

"Why?" Kurt said again, quietly.

Kellan hesitated. "Because the wolves that attacked your mother...were from the Canadian pack."

Kurt's jaw dropped. Blaine tensed, fury pulsing through his veins, setting his nerves alight, urging him to transform and rip all of their throats out. "Are you serious?" he growled. "They- But I thought you-!"

"I was the Alpha, yes," Kellan confirmed, sadness in his eyes. Regret. He kept his gaze trained upon Kurt, who had yet to speak. "It was not an authorized attack, I swear to you. I would have done everything in my power to prevent it if I'd known in time. They- They wanted to expand our territory to all of North America, and knew that the Singer – as a human – would be the weakest link." Blaine snarled; Kurt was _not_ weak. Kellan held up his hands in surrender. "I punished them severely, of course, but...That was the beginning of my downfall."

Kurt swallowed his tears and straightened his back. "So you came back. To help me. To make up for not helping my mother."

Kellan nodded. "Exactly."

Kurt heaved a heavy sigh, and managed a small smile. "What's done is done. I will not hold you accountable for her death." His expression darkened as he added, "The Canadian pack, though...God, if I ever run into them I swear on everything Gucci I will-" He cut himself off with a sharp huff of frustration.

Blaine rubbed his waist sympathetically. "Thank you for coming," he said again to Kellan. Kurt echoed the sentiment.

"I'll be going, then." Kellan gave one final nod to the both of them. "If you ever need me, Kurt...I'm always around." And with that, he departed. For a moment, Kurt and Blaine just stood there, huddled against each other, trying to absorb this new revelation. Blaine did not want to break the silence first. He wanted to give Kurt all the time he needed.

"So what _happened_ last night?" Kurt demanded. He turned and headed back towards Dalton. Blaine understood. They would not talk of this any further. "Was it really as bad as you guys make it out?"

Blaine pursed his lips. "You...You sure you don't remember anything?"

Kurt hesitated. "I remember...that there was a lot of pain." He frowned. "What? What I really vocal about it or something? Did I bitch and moan for a long time?"

Blaine chuckled. He didn't have the heart to tell Kurt the whole truth. Besides, talking about it might set _himself_ off crying. And he most certainly did not plan on bursting into tears in the middle of the Main Hall when he should have been in class. "Something like that..." was his only answer.

"Oh, before you get back to Calculus..." Kurt began as they reached dorm room 204. "When am I going to get to transform for my first time?"

Blaine grinned. "Tonight, if you'd like!"

Kurt nodded. "Can't wait."

…

**I was going to include Kurt's transformation in this chapter, but it's two in the morning and I just really need to have a nice long relationship with my pillow...So that'll be coming up in the next update. Kurt, I mean. Not my pillow.**

**Oh lord, just make me shut up now.**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	29. Chapter 29: First Hunt

**I haven't had internet since Wednesday afternoon. Which I consider a very valid excuse for not posting! Lol we've had severe winds – severe enough to knock over our fence, shut down the local schools, cut our power, destroy our Christmas lights, and even pick up small animals! (A neighborhood cat literally flew by my window last night. Scared the crap out of me! Thought the Wicked Witch was coming or something...)**

**My mother is on the phone. All I heard was "I'm sorry to bother you, but my husband's radio antenna broke off in the wind and is now in your pine tree. Would you mind if I come over and take it back?"**

**Wind creates awkward phone calls.**

…

That night, the Warblers went on the hunt that should have taken place on the full moon, but for obvious reasons had been postponed.

Kurt was nervous about his first transformation. He had the enhanced senses now, sure, but he still had no idea what it would be like to actually _become_ a wolf. He felt surprisingly human. But that would likely change as soon as he started running around on all-fours.

"I don't know what to do," Kurt whispered to Blaine.

Blaine just smiled at him, though. "Don't worry, I'll talk you through it. It's not hard. It's like riding a bicycle – it's confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's second nature."

"I can't believe you just compared a universal childhood rite of passage with turning into a werewolf," Kurt muttered. A few of the Warblers chuckled at that. They made their way deeper into the woods before stopping and transforming. Blaine let them loose to begin the hunt, but stayed behind with Kurt.

"Okay, close your eyes." Kurt did as he was told. "Picture yourself as a wolf."

"How? I've never seen myself as a wolf!"

Blaine chuckled, unperturbed. "Alright, well picture what you _think_ you'd look like as a wolf." He waited until Kurt nodded, his eyes still shut. "Now, feel the power within you. Feel it flow through your body, feel it swell in your chest, feel it take over everything...Keep that image in your mind, and just let yourself..._go_."

Kurt gasped. His transformation was slower than the others', more tentative, his body unused to the change. But he still completed it without any complications. Blaine grinned broadly. Before him now stood a gorgeous, lean chestnut werewolf, its fur slick and lush, its muscles strong beneath its coat, its eyes still squeezed shut.

"See?" he laughed. "No trouble!"

Kurt opened his eyes, taken aback at the new height. He glanced back at himself, swished his tail experimentally, picked up each paw one at a time to test out his limbs. He tried to tell Blaine "this is incredible!" but all that came out was a bark.

Blaine chuckled and transformed as well. _'How are you feeling, babe?'_

_'This is so strange!' _he gushed. _'I feel so much stronger! And this whole talking-without-mouths thing? Little weird. Not gonna lie. But...' _He pranced around in a circle, admiring himself. _'I make an awesome wolf!'_

_'That you do,'_ Blaine agreed, greatly amused by his boyfriend's excitement. The phrase 'like a puppy chasing its tail' came to mind as he watched Kurt frolic about through the snow. A couple other Warblers wandered over to express their welcomes and congratulations before returning to the hunt. Blaine trotted over to his boyfriend and licked him on the cheek. He could hear the rumble of laughter in Kurt's chest.

_'Okay, you ready for your first hunt?'_ Blaine asked excitedly.

A bit of Kurt's excitement dimmed. _'I- I think so?'_

_'Don't worry,'_ Blaine soothed, sensing his nerves. _'I'll help you. You'll do just fine.'_

For the next half hour, Blaine taught their newest member how to hunt. Kurt was very unnerved when he killed a white rabbit, but mostly because of how much he enjoyed it – enjoyed tearing his claws into it, feeling its muscles weaken, sinking his teeth into the meat. It was cruel and barbaric. He felt disgusted with himself.

_'Don't worry,'_ Blaine said again, coming up to lick his muzzle, dipping his head under Kurt's and nudging it upwards in a chin-up sort of gesture._ 'You'll get used to it eventually.'_

_'You did very well for your first hunt,'_ Wes put in.

_'Yeah,' _David agreed._ 'It took all of us months to get the hang of it.'_

_'Although in our defense, we were really young...'_

Still a little uneasy, Kurt nodded.

Blaine decided to call the hunt to its end. Everybody had already satisfied their animalistic cravings. They were happy to return to their beds. Kurt was able to return to human form with only minimal coaching from Blaine, and together they made their way back to the dorms. Blaine once again bypassed his own room in favor of Kurt's. (He couldn't wait until the new semester started and they could get a room together, which would avoid the awkward conversations with hall monitors who noticed he was not sleeping in his own double with Wes every night.) They got changed and slipped into Kurt's bed.

"Are you alright?" Blaine whispered. The lights were out, but Blaine could still see his boyfriend clearly.

"Fine," Kurt sighed, snuggling deeper into his pillow. "Tired, I guess. I didn't expect being a wolf would be so-...Well, to be like that."

"You don't regret it, do you?"

"No, no!" Kurt's eyes flew open, and he pressed reassuring kisses all along Blaine's jaw until he could hear the older boy's heartbeat return to normal. "_Never_, Blaine. I just meant...I wasn't as well-prepared as I thought I was. It sort of hit me tonight how much I really don't know about werewolves, and _being_ one...But I'll learn. You guys will teach me. It's fine. Honest."

Blaine nodded. "That's right. I'm going to help in whatever way I can."

They settled down, their eyes closing, their arms winding around one another, their breathing synchronizing. It was not long before they both disappeared into the land of dreams.

…

Kurt awoke abruptly in the middle of the night. He knew at once why. Blaine was whimpering in his sleep, face scrunched in a grimace, legs kicking out and occasionally catching him. Kurt sat up and leaned over Blaine to turn on his bedside lamp.

"Blaine?" he murmured, gently shaking his shoulder. "Blaine, babe, wake up!"

The curly-haired boy did not open his eyes. A tear slid from his shut eyelids and fell onto his pillow. His hand curled tightly on the sheet.

"Kurt..." Kurt heard him breathe, his voice catching. "No...Please..."

Kurt's frown deepened. "Blaine!" he said, louder. "Sweetie, come on, get up. You're dreaming!"

Blaine shifted, buried his head further into his pillow. A broken sob escaped him. "Please..." he muttered again. "Please stop...I can't...Kurt..."

Kurt was starting to panic. "Blaine!" he tried again, still louder. He stroked Blaine's cheek with the backside of his hand. "Blaine, baby, you need to wake up! It's just a dream. You're dreaming. I'm here. Wake up, sweetheart...Wake up now."

And finally, Blaine's eyes flew open, the hazel orbs wide and frantic and wet. He gasped and sniffed, letting out a second heart-wrenching dry sob. Kurt pulled him tightly into his arms, planting kisses on the top of his head, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words in his ear until Blaine calmed down. He had no idea what Blaine's nightmare had been about, but he knew it had something to do with him.

At last, Blaine collected himself, and he drew back. "Sorry," he murmured.

"Don't be," Kurt said. "Do you want to tell me what happened in your dream?"

Blaine bit his lip. "It was- I can't even- You were..." He heaved a great sigh and tried again. "I was reliving your Turning."

Kurt wasn't sure what to say to that. He remembered very little of that night. But clearly it had affected his boyfriend far more than he'd let on. So Kurt drew him closer again and whispered, "What happened? During my Turning...What was so upsetting, Blaine?"

Blaine clung to the fabric of Kurt's bedshirt when he spoke next. "It was...awful," he confessed quietly. "You were in so much _pain_, Kurt. You were kicking and screaming and I- It was my fault! I made you hurt! And I couldn't do anything to make you feel better. It was _torture_...I never, ever want to hurt you again. I'd rather hurt myself. Because hurting _myself_ would still hurt less than hurting _you_..."

Kurt stroked his curls methodically. "Sssh, it's okay," he calmed. "I'm fine. I'm not hurting anymore. Don't talk like that...I don't _ever_ want you to hurt yourself, okay? We're both fine. I'm so sorry you had to go through that..."

Blaine shook his head. "Don't be sorry," he said, more firmly.

Kurt pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Let's just go back to sleep," he suggested. "Try and forget about it. Let it go. It's in the past now...Let's enjoy the here and now, okay? We're both happy and healthy and _together_. That's all that matters."

A nod.

But Kurt stayed up for another half hour, long after Blaine's breathing had evened out, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, breath ghosting over Kurt's neck. Kurt's fingers ran absently through Blaine's hair. It didn't seem fair that Blaine had to suffer from a memory that Kurt had lost, or blocked. He knew exactly how Blaine felt; he hated seeing Blaine cry, especially when he knew it was his fault, in a way.

He would do anything to keep Blaine happy. Just as he knew Blaine would do the same for him.

…

**Next chapter: Burt. Just...Burt.**

**Note: Kurt's Turning is a bit like childbirth. At the time, it's super painful and there's a lot of screaming, but when it's all over the mother does not remember the full extent of the pain. There are actual biological reactions to childbirth – hormones that are released in order to soften the memory of the pain. No joke. So I'm working with that. Kurt went through such a traumatic pain that his body's natural reaction is to block the extent of the memory. Don't worry, he won't sporadically remember it all clearly and break down in the middle of class or something. How awkward..."I'M HAVING CHILDBIRTH-LIKE MEMORY RECALL! GIVE ME A MOTHAFUCKIN HALL PASS!"**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	30. Chapter 30: Support

**Bring on the BURT.**

**Also, I've realized something. Yelah and I...We don't have blood in our veins. We have a concoction of shitty coffee and Subway dressings. It's disgustingly wondrous.**

**This chapter includes: **eustilly**'s quotes: _You're trying to feed pop tarts to a squirrel...and the squirrel ain't having it_. And _You can't drive a Hummer to the moon and expect to find cheese_. (Edited a bit)**

…

Saturday came far too soon for both of them. Neither were particularly eager to have the dreaded confrontation with Kurt's father. There would be a lot of awkward topics and explanations and probably a couple arguments. But Blaine had promised, and he always made good on his promises. So early Saturday morning, the two of them dragged themselves sleepily to Kurt's car and made their way to Lima, hardly talking. Too nervous.

They arrived a little before ten. Kurt opened the door and let them in, noting at once that Burt was the only one in the house. _Strange..._They entered the living room where Burt was awaiting them, settled into his recliner, the television turned to the sports channel in the background. Kurt and Blaine exchanged a nervous glance and sank down onto the couch opposite him.

"Hey, dad," Kurt greeted with an uneasy smile. "How- How have you been?"

Burt pinned his son with such an intense once-over that Kurt felt exposed. Burt took in how close the two boys were sitting, their entwined fingers, Kurt's seemingly healthy, unharmed state. He heaved a great sigh. Ignoring Kurt's small talk, he asked a question of his own. "So...You- You're a werewolf now?"

Kurt bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand," he whispered. "There was just so much- I didn't think- It just slipped my mind! I'm sorry..."

Burt shook his head. "I mean, Blaine told me he'd Chosen you, but I didn't realize...I mean, I guess I had the lurking _suspicion_, but...God. A _werewolf_." He ran a hand over his bald head absently. "I'm not mad at you, Kurt. I just wish you'd _told_ me. This is sort of a _huge_ life decision to make!"

"I know!" Kurt groaned. "And I'm really, _really_ sorry! I swear, I'll tell you everything from now on. It just all sort of happened so fast! I mean, I don't regret it or anything," he added quickly, throwing a reassuring smile at Blaine. "It felt like the right thing to do. The natural next step."

Burt nodded thoughtfully. "Good...So how are you- I mean, are you alright? Did it go okay?"

Blaine glanced towards Kurt with a look that said _I won't tell if you don't want me to_. Kurt gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head, one that only a werewolf would be able to pick up on. Kurt had seen the effects his Turning had on the Council members, the nightmares that sometimes still haunted Blaine. He did not want to put any unnecessary strain on his father's heart. So he answered with a shrug, "It went fine. I'm still alive, aren't I? That says something."

Burt snorted, but grudgingly bobbed his head in agreement. It _was_ something. After everything that Kurt had been through, and no doubt _would_ go through, it was sometimes incredible to Burt that his son was still standing, let alone smiling.

"I know I'm probably digging my own grave here, but...Care to show me?"

Kurt frowned. "You want me to transform? Here?"

Burt hesitated only for a second. "Yeah, sure. I want to be able to recognize my own _son_, if it's not too much to ask! No matter _what_ form you're in..."

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand before standing and pushing aside the coffee table. He'd transformed twice since the hunt, and each time had been a little easier, a little more natural. He was nervous about this time, though; he did not want to give his father another heart attack.

When he changed into his wolf form, however, Burt did not freak out. He studied his son closely, taking in the similar color of his fur, the familiar greenish-blue eyes. He stood up and rustled the fur on the top of his head, the same way he used to muss Kurt's hair as a child.

"You're still my son," Burt murmured.

Kurt did his best to hold in his sobs. He bowed his head over his dad's shoulder in the form of a hug. Burt understood the gesture and patted his neck with a chuckle.

"Now turn back," he requested teasingly, trying to disguise his own emotion. "I can't very well talk to you when you're like that, now can I?"

Kurt immediately shrank back into his human body and collapsed back into the couch happily. Blaine took his hand again as if it was as instinctual as breathing. And it was.

"So, kiddo, since you've promised to tell me everything from now on..." Burt shifted in his chair. "What's next? I know Blaine, uh, _Chose_ you, right? What now?"

Kurt dropped his gaze, his cheeks heating up. Blaine cleared his throat, deciding that he should probably start talking, seeing as how he knew far more about this topic than his boyfriend did. "Well, Mr. Hu-" He caught himself at the flash in the older man's eyes. "Sorry. Burt. I don't know how much you already know about this- about the, uh, mating ceremony, but-"

"Mating ceremony?" Burt interrupted sharply. "Hold up, I've heard of that! You- You're gettin' my son _pregnant_?"

If it wasn't such a tense moment, Kurt would have laughed at how strange that sounded. As it was, though, he just paled. "Dad..." he tried to explain, his voice coming out in a meek whisper. "I- Yes. Quite frankly. At the next full moon..." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to become Blaine's mate. Which, yes, means the birth of Alpha pups, and-"

"Okay back up, back up!" Burt held up his hands. Blaine could see that both Hummels were equally uncomfortable with this conversation, yet still invested enough to see it through. "We're not just talkin' about the birds and the bees anymore now, Kurt. We- We're talkin' about bears and mountain lions!"

Blaine couldn't help it; he snickered into his free hand. "I can assure you, sir, that it's not as barbaric as you might think. Not with us, at least." He flashed a tender smile at his future mate. "When I Marked Kurt...He was destined to become my mate. The Alpha's mate. Kurt knew before I Turned him what the duties of an Alpha mate entail...Namely, the birth of the next generation's Alpha. He is a Carrier – a female wolf – so it's not a problem-"

Burt shook his head, over and over again. Back and forth, back and forth. Trying to rid himself from the thought, from the mental image. "No." His gaze fixed upon his son. "No," he repeated. "You're too young! You don't know what you want! You can't- You can't get pregnant and raise a child!"

"There's often more than one pup per litter," Blaine offered helpfully. Kurt kicked him in the ankle.

Burt looked about ready to pull out his shotgun. "Kurt, you...You're trying to feed pop tarts to a squirrel...and the squirrel ain't having it." And his deep frown made it very clear to the both of them that Burt was the squirrel of nonacceptance in this scenario.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Since when do you watch Dr. Phil?"

Burt harrumphed, displeased with being called out on it. "Carol had it on last night," he mumbled. "But that not the point! The point is-"

"The point is that you don't want me to get so deep into this relationship and then get hurt if it doesn't work out," Kurt finished for him.

Burt paused. He'd struck the nail on its head. "_Exactly!_" he agreed. "You're only _seventeen_, Kurt...You've hardly had a chance to _live_ yet! And I realize you really like this boy-"

"Blaine," Kurt interrupted automatically. He tightened his grip on Blaine's hand, silently asking him to stay there beside him. Blaine stroked the back of Kurt's hand with his thumb. _I'm not going anywhere._

"Blaine," conceded Burt. "But you've got to think about this logically! It's- It's like driving a Hummer to the moon and finding cheese! It's just not...probable!"

"Dad, I'm a _werewolf_." He put heavy emphasis on the last word, trying to make it very clear to his dad how deep he already _was_ in the relationship. "Nothing that happens to me from here on out is going to be '_probable_.' I know it may look like young love, just a high school hook up...But let's face it, dad, this is _so much more_ than that! And you _know_ that! I was willing to accept Blaine's lifestyle, and even become a wolf _myself_, because I'm in this – we're _both_ in this – for the long haul." He held up their linked hands. "I can't explain it, dad...There's something there between us. Something I can't fight. And I don't want to. I've already given myself one-hundred-percent to this relationship. I'm not going to back out now. Not after everything I've given up. Blaine's too precious for me to lose."

Blaine was momentarily lost for words. Kurt's unplanned little speech had left them both teary-eyed. He could do nothing but draw Kurt tightly in his arms and kiss him, right there in front of Kurt's father. And he felt Kurt's hot tears mix with his own, and _oh_, he had not even realized his had started to fall.

He drew back enough to gaze into Kurt's eyes. "I love you," he breathed. "I love you _so_ much..."

Kurt's hand came up to stroke his damp cheek softly. "I love you, too..."

Burt cleared his throat.

"I guess..." he mumbled. "I guess there's really nothing I can do..." He fixed Kurt with a serious expression. "You _sure_ about this now, kiddo?"

Kurt chuckled, brushing away his own tears. "I think it might be a little late for that question, but...Yes. I'm sure."

Burt grunted. But he seemed to accept it. _Progress_. "Alright then, Blaine...Enlighten this old _human_, would you? What's a werewolf pregnancy like?"

Despite Kurt's unease, Blaine explained everything he knew. He explained how it would last twelve or thirteen weeks, since werewolf pups grew faster than human babies. He explained how there would be anywhere between two to five pups in the litter, and how they would be born as wolves and have their first transformations into humans when they were three months old (the opposite of werewolf babies born of human women). He explained how Kurt's body would change in order to accommodate the pups – the female reproductive organs that would develop within him for the length of the pregnancy. Burt absorbed the information like a sponge.

"And when exactly...?"

Blaine glanced towards Kurt, but Kurt was still speechless, doing his best to blend into the couch. So he answered again. "The next full moon is February seventh..."

Burt nearly choked on air. "S-So soon...?" he muttered, aghast. "I- Jesus, I don't know if..."

Kurt finally found his voice again. "Dad, it's okay. I know teenage pregnancy isn't usually something to celebrate, and I know you probably thought you'd never have to worry about this kind of thing, considering you have a gay son, but..." He shrugged. "You also thought I'd never find out about werewolves either, am I right?"

The older Hummel sighed heavily. "That had been my hope, yes..."

"Well, I'm the Singer, and the Alpha's-mate-to-be." He said this with great pride, and Blaine practically glowed at the reminder. "So I guess that just goes to show that nothing turns out the way we plan...I know it's going to be hard on you, dad, but...Can I- Can I count on you? I really need my father to get through this..."

Burt heaved the greatest sigh yet, but then a smile formed. He stood and opened his arms wide for a hug. Kurt instantly leapt up into his father's embrace. "Of course, Kurt. You're my son. And, as strange as it sounds, I'll do whatever it takes to help you through your pregnancy."

And the two Hummel men laughed at how outrageous that sounded and hugged. Blaine beamed at the sight. The Warblers were great, but they weren't the same as a parent. He knew that Kurt would need as much support as possible for what was to come.

…

**Posting just before heading off to school? That's a new one for me...**

**So on a scale of 1-14 (why fourteen, I have no idea), how annoying are my AN's? 14 being "I want to talk to you in person, you awesome beast of epicness!" and 1 being "stfu, I don't give a flying flip about you. Just give me my Klaine and gtfo." Go on. I'm curious. :)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	31. Chapter 31: Mates

**LOOK! A NEW CHAPTER! I'M NOT DEAD! HALLELUJAH!**

**I swear on Jesus's boxer-briefs that I wasn't just ignoring this fic! I spent the past few weeks going back through every single chapter and editing the shit out of them! Lol I like to think that they've quite improved now. Plus, I worked out some awkward plot quirks from the earlier chapters, so it all flows much more smoothly. If you happen to have some free time on your hands (Winter Break, anyone?) feel free to go back and read the polished version of the previous chapters! :D Besides, after such a long hiatus, I'm sure you'll need to refresh your memory as to what's been happening in this fic...MY DEEPEST APOLOGIES!**

**Happy holidays, everyone! Think of this as my late present to y'all :) Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Jolly Kwanzaa, Splendid Winter...I got Glee Season 1 from my sister, which makes it the first TV series I've _ever_ gotten on DVD :D See you all in 2012!**

**(AN is now longer than the story. Awk.)**

…

As February approached, Blaine and Kurt became more and more inseparable. The start of second semester meant that they could finally get a double together, and the first thing they did was push the two beds together to make one they could share. They went out on dates on the weekends when their workloads weren't too overwhelming, met up for coffee and study dates practically daily, and spent Warbler practices (Regionals were fast approaching, and Wes was cracking down) and the couple of classes they shared with their hands interlocked. They got into a couple of fights, it was true, but the longest they ever lasted was a day before one of them broke down and apologized. The Warblers joked that they were physically incapable of staying mad at each other for more than twenty-four hours. Blaine believed it.

The rest of the students were all very much aware of their relationship. Even the teachers seemed to know, letting the occasional public displays of affection in the hallways slide. Kurt and Blaine were quick to become the 'power couple' of the school. Of course, that title was a bit easier to come by for a gay couple at an all-boys school. Still, they took it in their stride. Everybody knew and loved them. Nobody suspected a thing.

The Warblers set up a 'mandatory evening of rehearsal' on the night of the full moon as a cover story. They were all in attendance.

"Are you nervous?" Blaine whispered, their foreheads pressed together, their breath blending into one. The Council was making the final preparations.

"No." And it was the truth. "I've been waiting for this day since you Turned me."

Blaine grinned. "I've been waiting for this day since I Chose you."

Kurt's smile was stunning, breathtaking. "I love you, Blaine."

Wes interrupted their kiss with a clearing of his throat. "If you two are ready," he said, failing to hide his smirk, "we're about to begin."

The two of them laughed and turned to face the Council, hands intertwined. Just as with the Turning, everything was prosecuted with the utmost precision. But for the next ten minutes, Kurt had no recollection of what was said and done. All he could think about was what the two of them would be doing later that evening. The ceremony was just for formalities; everybody in the room knew the purpose of that night was to impregnate Kurt with the future Alpha pups. Kurt should have been terrified – he was going to lose his virginity, and get pregnant, and give birth in a few months to half-human wolves, and he had to do it all in secret.

But he wasn't scared.

He wasn't scared because it was with _Blaine_. And as long as he had Blaine with him, he couldn't bring himself to fear anything of their future together.

…

When Kurt awoke the next morning, he was sore in places he'd never been sore before. But there was also a sense of utter contentment. There were strong arms around him, a warm chest pressed to his back, a steady breath tickling his ear, soft sheets caressing his skin. He could feel sunlight on his eyelids.

_I'm going to be late for class..._

Reluctantly, he cracked open his eyes and shifted a bit in order to read the clock on the bedside table. The movement made him very aware of a faint burning on his lower half and he froze, teeth clenched.

Blaine inhaled deeply behind him in a telltale sign of awakening.

"Mmh, morning," he murmured thickly, running a hand over Kurt's bare waist and kissing the back of his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Blaine, we're an hour late for classes," Kurt informed him worriedly. His mind told him to get up and get dressed and haul ass down to second period, but his body didn't seem to want to listen to him.

Blaine smiled, amused, and lazily kissed his neck. "Babe, our parents called us in sick, remember?"

"Oh." He had forgotten. He sank back down into Blaine's arms gratefully. "Right."

They laid there for a moment, simply basking in the comfort and serenity between them. Kurt was not even embarrassed when he realized that they were both still very much naked. He rolled so that he was facing Blaine, smiling sleepily up at him.

"How're you feeling?" asked Blaine again, bringing a hand up to trace Kurt's jaw with his knuckles.

Kurt hummed against his touch. "A little sore, but very, _very_ happy." He stretched to press his lips to Blaine's in a short, languid kiss. "And you?"

"Oh god, Kurt, I can't even tell you..." Blaine buried his face in Kurt's mussed hair, kissing the crown of his head, wrapping his arms tighter to draw him closer. "Last night was probably the best night of my _life_...You're just-...I love you _so_ much."

Kurt giggled and snuggled into that familiar crook of Blaine's neck. "Careful, Blaine, my ego is about to break through the roof..."

"Are you hungry?" Blaine drew back a bit so that they could make eye contact. "The cafeteria's probably closed, but I could get us something from the coffee shop if you'd like..."

Kurt stretched his whole body with a moan, managing to reach both the top and bottom of their makeshift queen-sized bed. "I'll go with you...If I don't get up I think I might just melt into the sheets..."

Blaine chuckled. "I think we can handle another couple hours of rest, though...Especially you. I know you haven't been getting as much sleep as you used to..."

Kurt grumbled a bit. "Well, I mean, all these werewolf things always happen at _night_, and if I miss too much class or I can't pay _attention_ enough during a lesson because I'm so exhausted then I've got to go back and relearn everything and it just takes a lot of _time_, and you guys are fine because you've been doing this your whole lives, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of-"

Blaine cut him off with a kiss. "You're going to be fine," he promised. "Don't worry about it. You're a good student, Kurt, and you're smart. Really smart. I have all the confidence in the world that you'll be able to handle it just fine..."

…

When they awoke three hours later, it was nearly lunchtime. Kurt dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom for a shower, the hot water massaging his sore muscles back into working condition. He fixed up his hair in the mirror while Blaine took his turn for the shower. Not once did either of them ever feel awkward or uncomfortable about being in the nude in front of each other. After the night they'd had, Kurt highly doubted he could ever feel self-conscious around Blaine again.

"I don't know about you, but I'm _starving_," Blaine sighed, working a bit of gel into his curls.

"Ouch!"

"Kurt?" Blaine stepped back into their room to find his boyfriend picking something small and wooden out of his uniform pants. "Is that...?"

"Bark!" Kurt burst into laughter. He shook out their pile of abandoned clothing and, sure enough, a small collection of wood chippings and dried leaves fell into the slowly-drying puddle on the floor.

"I guess we were a little rougher than I realized..." Blaine grinned, tossing their uniforms into the laundry basket in the corner. "At least we didn't get pneumonia...?"

Kurt dug out a fresh pair of briefs and silver skinny jeans. "What?" he demanded when he caught Blaine's smirk. "If we're excused from classes then I plan on taking _full_ advantage of the temporary lack of dress code!"

Blaine chuckled and grabbed a pair of regular jeans for himself. "You won't see _me_ complaining...You know I love your skinnies."

Kurt paused after pulling on a silky black long-sleeved button-up. "Hey...Thanks for carrying me back last night, Blaine..."

Blaine laughed again – and honestly, when he was around Kurt, how could he not? – and said, "Oh, no, don't even mention it! I didn't think you'd really enjoy spending the night out in the snow..."

Kurt tossed him the set of red suspenders he had been looking for. "_Shocking_, I know..."

…

When they made it down to the cafeteria and over to the Warblers' table, the entire group gave them a knowing, suggestive leer. Blaine sat at the head of the table with Kurt, ignoring their friends' expressions.

"Didn't expect to see _you_ two for another few hours," David smirked.

"And how's our Mama Wolf doing this fine afternoon?" teased Wes, poking Kurt's upper arm like an impatient child.

Kurt grabbed the offensive finger. "Call me that one more time and I will string you up by the tail and beat you with an obscenely long stick until even your own mother can't recognize you."

Wes immediately drew back, much to the amusement of the rest of the table.

"Just because he's got itsy bitsy little babies growing in him now doesn't make him a 'mama,'" Jeff spoke up, still snickering a bit into his salad. "It makes him a super hormonal _male_ Carrier."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, turning to smile apologetically at Blaine. "Sorry in advance for the upcoming bitchfest..."

Blaine grinned and nuzzled into his neck. "Bring it on..."

Nick snapped a picture of them with his phone. "For the kids," he explained with a shrug, as if it should have been obvious. "I want them to know how sickeningly adorable their parents were from the very beginning..."

Blaine flicked a strawberry into Nick's tomato soup.

…

After lunch, Blaine took Kurt off campus. He kept his lips firmly sealed the entire way as they drove passed the movie theater, passed the coffee shop, passed the fancy restaurant Blaine had taken Kurt to two weeks ago. After only a ten minute drive, they slowed to a stop in a residential area, just outside a small two-story apartment complex at the end of a cul-de-sac.

"Um, Blaine?" Kurt tried, stepping hesitantly out of the car. "Why are we here?"

"Just come with me." Blaine held out a hand, and Kurt took it. There was a gate at the front, but he punched in a code – too quickly for Kurt to catch – and it clanked open for them. Blaine led him up the outside flight of stairs to the second floor and down the hallway overlooking the communal swimming pool and garden. Everything was quiet, clean and comfortable. At the very last door, room 224 – Kurt giggled at the irony – Blaine pulled out a silver key. With a smile and a wink, he unlocked it and gestured for Kurt to enter ahead of him.

"_This_, my love, will be our new home for the next few months..."

…

**Back when I first started writing this, I _did_ originally plan on writing the sex scene. But then I realized that writing smut just isn't quite the same when they're _wolves_ and _outside_...lol so yeah, cut that part out. Sorry. Hopefully the fluff makes up for it? ;)**

**Next chapter: Moving into the apartment and the beginnings of pregnancy. Oh joy!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	32. Chapter 32: Cravings

**This update was a bit faster than last time's. Do I get a cookie for that?**

**This chapter includes: **gleekforeva761**'s quote: _Why, there's nothing more scrumptious than white chocolate and hula hoops!_ Altered slightly.**

…

Everything was arranged.

Mr. Anderson – who would be paying the rent, despite Kurt's protests – pulled some strings with the landlady. She did not question their ages, or their sexualities, or their relief when they heard that the rooms were all soundproofed, which would no doubt come in handy in a few months' time when Kurt gave birth. A few Warblers helped Blaine and Kurt move in that Saturday, insisting that Kurt not lift a finger. Apparently being a few days pregnant meant that he was as weak and delicate as a baby bird. He complained, but in all honesty he quite enjoyed bossing them around, telling them where to put everything, scolding them for hanging a poster crookedly.

"Dad's coming over in a couple hours," Kurt informed Blaine as he sat on their carpeted living room floor, organizing their DVDs onto the shelves beneath the television.

"He's bringing some more stuff over, right?" Blaine called from the bedroom, where he was busy unpacking his clothing into drawers. The entire closet had already been taken over by Kurt's substantial wardrobe, but Blaine didn't mind in the least. He knew that it was only _half_ what Kurt actually owned.

"Yeah. I hope he remembers to bring the non-stick pots..."

Blaine finished putting away his shirts and went to the doorway, folding his arms and leaning against it as he smiled down at his boyfriend. "I must confess here and now, my cooking skills are nothing to be jealous of..."

Kurt laughed. "Then it's a good thing I've been a master of the kitchen since I was ten years old then, isn't it?" He held up a movie. "Since when did we own _Aladdin_ on DVD?"

Blaine pretended to look abashed. "What? I love me some Disney!"

Kurt just rolled his eyes affectionately and slid the movie between his copies of _Moulin Rouge_ and _Sound of Music_.

…

Burt arrived a little after five.

"This is _nice_..." He whistled his appreciation, staring around at their scant furniture and unpacked possessions. Their belongings seemed to mesh effortlessly; Kurt's _Vogue_ collection sat right next to Blaine's _Harry Potter_ set on the bookshelves; Blaine's reading glasses rested on the bedside table beside Kurt's copy of _Hamlet_ he was reading for his English class. "This stuff is mostly Blaine's, right?" he added, gesturing towards the couch and TV set and cupboards.

"Yeah," Blaine answered. "My father had most of my stuff from my room brought over earlier this morning..."

Burt was all for keeping Kurt away from any significant physical exertion – which he sighed and rolled his eyes at – and instead enlisted Blaine to help him bring up the things from the back of his truck. Kurt's lounge chair, desk, and vanity were added to the apartment, not to mention the five boxes of clothing and kitchenware he'd requested.

"I couldn't bring too much without Carol and Finn noticing," Burt apologized, glancing around at the pans and skillets and whatnot scattered over the counter as Kurt unpacked them. "Getting stuff your room is fine – they never go in there anyway – but I'm pretty sure both of them would notice if the oven went missing..."

Kurt laughed. Blaine passed by him to grab a soda from their small refrigerator. "That's fine, that's fine. I wasn't expecting you to pack up the whole kitchen and give it to me. Sorry, _us_." He wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist and kissed his temple. Blaine beamed up at him and bumped his hip against Kurt's. Burt looked away for a moment, smiling.

When the kitchen was set up to Kurt's liking, he grabbed a box of clothing and headed for the bedroom.

"I don't know how you're supposed to fit all that in," Burt teased. "That closet looked like it was stuffed to the brim already..."

Kurt glanced over his shoulder with his signature exasperated eyebrow raise. "Oh _please_, dad, if I can do _anything_ it's reorganize a closet to allow maximum capacity."

Blaine paused, staring after him with a smile as he swished the soda around in its can.

"Not gonna help him?" Burt asked.

Blaine laughed at that. "I'd probably get thrown out within the first two minutes if I tried to handle Kurt's precious clothing."

Burt chortled as well, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "You're right. Best if we just let him at it..."

…

By Monday, the morning sickness had kicked in. Blaine suggested that he stay at home, but Kurt insisted on going to school until he had no other choice. Blaine knew better than to argue with him about it.

"Pregnancy catching up to you?" Jeff guessed sympathetically after Kurt's second run to the bathroom. He looked pale and tired and it wasn't even third period yet.

"These little demons better be worth it," Kurt muttered, arms wrapped around his stomach and glowering up at the whiteboard at the front of the room as if it had done him an insufferable wrong. Jeff, Nick and Kurt had second period together, and they sat in the very back for the sole purpose of being able to slip out unnoticed.

"You knew what you were getting into..." Nick smirked.

Kurt just glared at him until he shrank behind Jeff, honestly a little scared of the new werewolf's hormonal bungee jumping.

…

Kurt's appetite was completely thrown for a loop. Sometimes he wasn't hungry at all – during which Blaine would chide him into eating for the sake of their growing kids – and sometimes he felt like he could eat a hundred pancakes and the plate they came on. He got obscure cravings at the most inconvenient times; more than once Blaine was sent to the local grocery store in the early morning to get foods Kurt hadn't eaten in years but now suddenly _required_. Even his dreams were being muddled by the pregnancy, with Blaine awaking one morning to Kurt muttering about how nothing was more scrumptious than white chocolate and hula hoops. (Not surprisingly, Kurt demanded that they go to the chocolate factory after school that day. Blaine wasn't sure where the hula hoops fit in with that, though.)

Normally Blaine would be irritated about being used like a servant, but he could not bring himself to get annoyed with his boyfriend. It was sort of his fault Kurt was like that, after all. Besides, he felt guilty as all hell when he awoke in the middle of the night to Kurt crying out in pain and could do nothing but hold him and kiss him and apologize over and over again until he cried himself back to sleep.

"Dude, Blaine, you getting enough sleep?" Wes questioned, studying his friend's face without shame. "You look exhausted."

Blaine rubbed his hands over the bags under his eyes. "It's nothing," he muttered. "Kurt has it way worse. There are nights when he doesn't ever fall asleep from the pain..."

Wes grimaced sympathetically. "Well, I mean, his body is developing organs he was never biologically meant to have. Of _course_ it's gonna hurt like all hell."

"He's going to have to transform soon," Blaine sighed, gazing down at his textbook and willing his eyes to focus on the words printed there. "It won't hurt nearly as much in wolf form..."

"He's gonna want to stick it out in human form for as long as possible, though," Wes pointed out knowingly.

"I know..." Blaine fisted his eye sockets and shook his head rapidly to clear his brain of the sleepy fog descending upon it. "I'm sure it'll be fine. He's strong. If any male can go through a _pregnancy_, it's Kurt."

Wes nodded in agreement and returned to his homework.

…

A little over a week after the beginnings of his morning sickness, Kurt conceded that he could no longer go to school and gave in to the inevitable. He transformed. Since he was technically a female when in wolf form, the abdomen pain was hardly even noticeable. He already had the required organs in this form.

_'I'm sorry,'_ he keened, resting his head on his paws and gazing over at his boyfriend apologetically as Blaine heated up one of the frozen dinners they'd gotten as soon as Kurt gave up on attending school and staying in human form.

Even though Blaine could not understand him, he still smiled at Kurt in a way that made him quite sure Blaine knew what he'd said anyway. "Don't worry about it," Blaine assured, confirming his suspicion. "I'd much rather do all the shopping and 'cooking' and cleaning if it means you can stop suffering."

Kurt leapt from the bed, padded over to his significant other, and licked him on the cheek, at which Blaine laughed and squirmed from the odd, wet sensation.

"I love you, too."

…

Kurt began noticeably showing in mid-March. Blaine, who saw him every day, didn't honestly realize at first; it was when Nick and Jeff came over to visit Kurt and catch him up on his classes that it was brought to his attention. Sure enough, there was a significant baby bump.

"Good thing you're not going to school anymore!" Nick said jovially, sitting at the foot of the bed and staring unabashedly at Kurt's belly. "It's not like the Dalton uniform comes in maternity sizes..."

Kurt kicked him with a powerful leg, knocking him clean off the bed. Jeff burst out laughing before helping his boyfriend to his feet.

"Do you ever go back to human form?" he asked, but glanced to Blaine for the answer. He could not read Kurt as easily as Blaine could.

"He has a couple times," Blaine shrugged, entering the room with the large turkey sandwich Kurt had been dying for. "Hurts like a bitch, though. He says it's sort of like swallowing a beachball and then inflating it inside him whenever he transforms back."

Both visitors flinched at the description, their hands flying to their own middles at the idea. As fellow Carriers, they understood Kurt on a basic level, even though neither of them had ever been pregnant before.

Kurt and Blaine quickly became experts at one-sided conversations. Blaine transformed whenever he could so that they could talk for real, but more often than not he needed his arms – to do homework, to make dinner, to do the dishes, to clean the apartment. He always slept in wolf form, though, so that they could curl up together without feeling unequal. In the afternoons, Blaine taught Kurt the lessons he's missed that day so that he wouldn't fall behind in school, and although it was difficult to do any work without human hands, Kurt was still able to grasp the concepts.

_'Thank you for doing all this, Blaine.'_ Kurt curled closer into Blaine's side, head tucked under Blaine's, reveling in his boyfriend's body heat.

_'Don't mention it,'_ Blaine rumbled affectionately. _'You're carrying my _babies_, Kurt...I don't think there's anything I could do to properly show how grateful I am for you.'_

Kurt smirked, teeth bared. _'I can think of something that may be acceptable payment...'_

Blaine caught his sneaky tone and knew exactly what he was thinking.

Suddenly, neither of the wolves were very tired.

…

**I'll be gone this weekend at a convention, so don't expect an update from me anytime particularly soon :( Plus, school starts up again next week, and I'll be starting my daily after-school babysitting job. GROSS.**

**Regionals in the next chapter! :)**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	33. Chapter 33: Manly

**So along with the return of school and work, I've come down with mononucleosis. Which, as it turns out, completely destroys my writing motivation. So once more, I'm forced to apologize for a painfully long delay :( If you ever want to contact me (for a question, a comment, a random fact of the day, whatever) Tumblr is your best bet. xbleedingblackrosex :) Sorry, again, for the lax updates. I'm just unconscious more than I'm conscious these days.**

**P.S. This chapter gave me a lot of grief. It simply _did not_ want to be written.**

…

Burt visited them at least once a week to check up on them, help in any way he could, make sure Kurt wasn't pushing himself too much. It was hard, at first, not being able to communicate with his son verbally, but Blaine – who had gotten very good at reading Kurt's facial expressions and body language – translated for him.

"You keepin' up with your classes, I hear?" Burt said, ruffling the fur between his son's ears. Kurt snorted and twitched his head in a playful 'get-off' gesture, the same way he used to duck out from under Burt's hand when he mussed his hair as a child.

"He is," Blaine assured, entering the room with the large turkey sandwich Kurt had requested shortly before Burt's arrival. "And he's doing very well, considering he hasn't been to class for a few weeks!"

"Bet it gets pretty frustrating, though," Burt guessed. "Must be hard, not being able to use a pencil or anything..."

Kurt whined and rested his head on his forepaws.

"Don't worry," Blaine chuckled, bending down to kiss his ear and setting the plate before him. "You'll be back to human form before you know it!"

The Warblers also stopped by on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes they just hung out, chatting, often in wolf form so as to not make Kurt feel left out. Other times they had study sessions, which Kurt was secretly grateful for, because it was nice to reenforce the lessons Blaine taught him in his mind so that he would be pretty much caught up when he went back to school. He hated not being able to attend classes, trapped in that apartment all day.

At first, Blaine responded to the many texts Kurt got from his New Directions friends, startled by how many of them came in each day and how much drama seemed to go down over at McKinley. It was apparent that Kurt acted as the mediator between the fights and break-ups of the glee club, and although it was nice that they wanted to keep him involved, it was probably more of an emotional strain on Kurt than they realized. After a bit of practice, Kurt was able to text by himself – very slowly and very carefully – with one claw from each paw. Blaine did not protest; he knew that there was a certain sense of pride in it. Kurt needed to feel like he had control over _something_ in his life. Even if it was something as simple as texting his friends.

They called sometimes, too. That was when Kurt got the most upset, because if he wanted to talk to them, he had to return to human form, and his male body simply wasn't prepared for that kind of unnatural growth within him. He was physically _capable_ of transforming back, of course, but the pain he'd felt when he tried was too much. His body wasn't meant to endure that kind of internal addition.

So he stuck with texting. He could tell that his friends were suspicious, but he tried to assure them through texts, Facebook, and e-mail that he was fine, just overworked and busy. Blaine told him multiple times how much he wished it didn't have to be this hard for him. But Kurt just smiled and licked his cheek._ 'I'm not mad at you,' _he would assure. _'I love you.'_

…

"Kurt! Your favorite Warbler is here!"

The wolf rumbled with laughter and padded out of the bedroom into the sitting room. Jeff grinned at him from the doorway. Blaine rolled his eyes affectionately and returned to his homework. (He would do his own work first before teaching it to Kurt to make sure that he fully understood the day's lesson.) Kurt nudged Jeff's chest with his nose in his typical greeting. Jeff patted his neck.

"Damn, Kurt, you get bigger and bigger every time I see you!"

Kurt frowned and nipped at his shoulder, turning to settle himself down in the middle of the sitting room. Jeff plopped down onto the couch closest to him. Blaine watched them out of the corner of his eye from the kitchen; he knew how sensitive Kurt was about his weight. He refused to believe that all the extra food he was consuming would not get added to his thighs.

"Not in a bad way," Jeff added, sensing his unease.

Kurt rolled onto his side, making his baby bump very prominent. He raised a skeptical eyebrow. Jeff chuckled.

"No, really!" he insisted. "You look great! Just...You know, very _pregnant_."

Kurt turned his head in Blaine's direction and growled. Blaine gave Kurt an exasperated half-smile. "Hey, we've been over this, Kurt! Yes, I got you pregnant, but that doesn't make you any less of a man in my eyes."

Kurt whined, pawing at the carpet. Jeff looked between the two of them, amused. "Kurt, being a Carrier – or being pregnant – doesn't make you a girl! In fact, I'd say it makes you _more_ of a man because there aren't many guys who could handle going through something like a pregnancy! I mean, we defy all _sorts_ of gender norms by being Carriers! It's incredible! And you should be downright _proud_ to be able to do something that so few guys are able to do!"

Kurt snorted in laughter and thwacked Jeff's leg. Jeff laughed as well.

"It's magical, really..." He crouched down and placed a gentle hand on Kurt's belly. "To be able to create life out of nothing..."

Kurt smiled, and a soft rumble in his chest that resembled a purr came from within him.

Jeff grinned over at Blaine, who was struggling not to tear up. And so, of course, Jeff felt the need to ruin the emotional moment.

"I can't wait to see the little monsters!"

Kurt kicked him.

…

Regionals arrived. Blaine was worried that Kurt would be upset that he could not accompany them, but he was surprisingly okay with it all.

_'Just make sure you guys win so that we can go to Nationals in New York!'_ he teased. _'I'll have already given birth by then.'_

_'Oh, no pressure or anything!'_ Blaine snorted, nudging his nose under Kurt's chin.

_'I expect only the best from my mate,'_ Kurt smirked.

He did not hear from any of the Warblers the whole day. He was beginning to worry that they had lost. He wanted to text Blaine, or call, or something. But he didn't. And in the evening, Blaine finally returned home, head bowed, the perfect picture of morose. Kurt's heart fell. He'd had every confidence in his boyfriend's ability to carry the Warblers to triumph. And yes, he was disappointed that he would not get to go to the Big Apple, but more importantly he knew how crushed Blaine must be.

He nosed Blaine's shoulder comfortingly.

And then, suddenly, Blaine's face broke into a wide smile, and he shouted, "WE WON!"

Kurt hardly had time to take in what he'd said before Blaine's arms were around his neck and he was laughing ecstatically into his fur. Kurt let out a bark of laughter and licked his cheek, tackling Blaine easily to the floor to lick the rest of his grinning face.

Something inside Kurt jerked.

He jumped and backed up, eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, worried that all the excitement had put too much of a strain on Kurt's body. The wolf simply shook his head. Unnerved, Blaine transformed. _'What is it, sweetheart?'_

_'The...The puppies!'_ Kurt breathed. _'They- They- I felt them move! Or- I don't know, at least one of them...But- Oh my god, I _felt_ it, Blaine!'_

Blaine's jaw dropped. He ducked down to press his head carefully to Kurt's underbelly. They stayed perfectly still. And then-

The faintest of kicks.

_'Did you feel it?'_ Kurt demanded, in awe.

_'Yes...'_ Blaine said, equally shocked. Shocked and very, very happy. _'This is...I mean...Wow! This is incredible! I can't believe we can actually-...'_

_'This is really happening,'_ Kurt sighed.

_'It really is...'_ He licked Kurt's neck._ 'You're extraordinary, Kurt, you know that?'_

If Kurt was in human form, he would be blushing.

…

It was a Saturday in early May when Kurt finally went into labor.

The sun had not yet risen when Blaine speed-dialed Nick and Jeff to come help. (Being fellow Carriers, and Kurt's closest friends from the Warblers, they had been the natural selections for birth assistance.) They arrived in record time.

"Is he alright?" Jeff demanded the second he was through the door. Nick moved immediately into the bedroom. "How far along is he?"

"His water just broke," Blaine informed him, looking haggard. His curls were in complete and utter disarray. "I don't- I can't- I didn't- Oh god-"

"Blaine!"

Jeff clasped his shoulders firmly, looking him dead in the eyes. "Take a deep breath, okay?"

"But..." Jeff raised his eyebrows expectantly. Blaine sighed, but did as he was told.

"Get ready, Blaine," Jeff smirked. "You're going to be a father..."

…

**Yelah was practically reading this one over my shoulder. How awkward. And the creepy man in the corner is making it all the more uncomfortable...**

**NEXT CHAPTER, THE PUPPIES ARE BORN! :D And there's some help in the process...**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	34. Chapter 34: Hello

**This week is finals for me. Excuse me while I die.**

…

The next half hour was filled with rushed phone calls, impatient waiting, and trying to keep Kurt as calm and comfortable as possible. Blaine sat at Kurt's head and constantly petted his sweating neck. The wolf whined at every contraction, rubbing his head into Blaine's side, pawing at the blankets. Nick and Jeff transformed as soon as they got Kurt settled; it was easier to communicate this way, and Kurt was more at ease with two female wolves helping than with two male humans.

Blaine was much more scared than he let on. None of them had ever assisted in childbirth before, especially not a werewolf one. They had read as much as they could, of course, and talked to their parents, but there wasn't much else they could do to prepare. When Kurt whimpered, Blaine's heart convulsed. It was the Turning all over again; Kurt was in pain and it was Blaine's fault.

_'Kurt? Kurt, it's okay, just take deep breaths,' _Jeff soothed, masking his own panic. He tried not to think about how intimate of a view he had from this angle, how much it reminded him why he was gay. But he couldn't think about that right now. He had to help Kurt.

Nick temporarily transformed. "Blaine, I think it's going to start soon," he murmured.

Blaine nodded jerkily, throat too clotted to speak.

Kurt gave a long, loud keen. A claw caught on a blanket and the sound of tearing fabric filled the room. His breathing was labored, his coat shining with a thin sheet of sweat, eyes wild and desperate. Blaine could see the pain, the frustration, the impatience, the fear.

Another contraction. Kurt barked and growled. Nick quickly transformed back.

_'It's a good thing Blaine can't understand him,'_ Jeff mumbled over the endless stream of profanities and threats.

_'Jeff...Do you know what you're doing?'_ Nick whispered.

Jeff turned to meet his boyfriend's gaze sadly. _'No.'_

_'Neither do I.'_

_'But we have to help Kurt in whatever way we can. We have to get him through this...'_ Jeff turned his focus back to Kurt.

_'I wish there was somebody more experienced, someone who-'_

The front door suddenly swung open, bouncing off the wall and emitting a haggard young man with familiar golden hair and emerald eyes. He paused for a second, taking in the scene before him – the large wolf on the blankets strewn across the floor, the teenage boy running his hands soothingly through his fur, the two Carriers by his tail – before slamming the door behind him and tugging off his gloves.

"Kellan!" Blaine gasped. "What're you-?"

"Helpin' with the birth, of course!" he snapped, as if that should have been expected. "I swore I'd be here for him, remember? This isn't going to be easy. It's going to hurt like all hell and he's going to need as much assistance as we can offer. Lucky for you guys I've already been through this once before so I-"

"But how did you know...?" Blaine couldn't help but cut in.

"Just because I don't transform anymore doesn't mean I don't still pick up on some things," Kellan grumbled, grabbing a dish cloth from the kitchen, wetting it, and kneeling beside Kurt to press the damp towel to the wolf's forehead. "He's emitting an insane amount of pheromones right now. I could smell it from two blocks away!"

Blaine gaped at him. "I- I didn't realize that even after you turn twenty-five-"

"Not to the same extent as when you're a wolf," Kellan clarified, only half paying attention to Blaine as he readjusted the towel to Kurt's neck. "But yes. It's a gradual thing. I won't lose all of my wolf senses completely for another year or so. Now can we please focus on Kurt?"

And so they did just that.

The next hour was one of the longest in Blaine's life. Kurt whined and whimpered and keened and growled. Against Nick's advice, Blaine transformed in order to offer some more motivation and support. Kurt proceeded to nearly bite off his head. He cried and swore and Blaine soon lost count of how many times Kurt promised to kill him when this was all over. He spewed such colorful profanities and threats that Blaine had half a mind to write some of them down for future reference. In the meantime, though, he just focused on keeping Kurt sane and strong. Kellan gave the instructions; Nick and Jeff were the main helpers; Blaine offered the necessary moral support, keeping up a constant string of encouragements that Kurt probably didn't even really hear.

The sun rose that morning on four tiny werewolf pups and two exhausted new fathers.

Kurt transformed back to human form almost automatically after the final baby was out and safe in Jeff's arms. He was panting and sweating, and he was still in a great deal of pain, but nevertheless he sat up and gazed with half-lidded eyes at the crib they'd set up nearby.

"Blaine..." His voice was hoarse, faint. "Please..."

He understood. Carefully, oh so carefully, he carried their children over and set them down in Kurt's arms, settling beside him and slipping a supportive arm around Kurt's back. A tired smile split across Kurt's face.

"Our babies..." he whispered. "Oh god, Blaine, they're so beautiful!" He glanced up at his boyfriend. "I love you. So much."

Blaine kissed him deeply. "I love you, too. You're _incredible_, Kurt. Absolutely incredible."

Kurt gave a tiny laugh and snuggled their slumbering offspring closer. One of the girls yawned and tucked herself into the crook of Kurt's elbow. All four of them fit so perfectly between them. It was practically incomprehensible, how much love passed between the two boys at that moment. "They're perfect..."

Blaine felt himself tear up. "They really are...You all are..."

There was a sniff. They looked up to find Jeff crying softly into Nick's chest. Kellan was wordlessly cleaning up the bloody rags.

"S-Sorry," Jeff blubbered, cheeks flushed and stained with salty tears. "Y-You're just so- so adorable! I can't- It's just so beautiful!"

Blaine laughed. Nick flashed the new parents a supportive smile before leading his boyfriend into the bedroom to calm down. Kellan muttered something about cleaning up a bit in the kitchen and slipped away, leaving the fathers in the sitting room to rest and talk and revel in the aftermath of such a life-changing moment for the both of them.

"Names..." Kurt murmured, gazing lovingly down at their puppies. One of the boys kicked a little in his sleep. Blaine absently ran a finger down the newborn's coat. _They're all so small and fragile..._

"Two guys, two girls," he mused. They had discussed names before, of course; now it just came down to which four would make the final cut. "Well, you know what I'm going to say about one of the girl names..."

Kurt rolled his eyes but kissed his cheek. Blaine has insisted almost as soon as the topic had been broached, over a month ago, that if they had a girl they named her Tambri, in honor of Kurt's mother. Kurt had burst into tears when Blaine first suggested it, but they had been tears of joy. Now he studied the two girls. One was dark, almost black, while the other was a pale golden-brown. It was not a hard decision. He petted the darker one's head with the tip of a finger. "Hello, Tambri Hummel-Anderson..." He beamed over at Blaine and added, "Which do you want to name Gavin?"

This one had been a bit harder for them to agree on. Kurt wanted to do it in respect to Blaine's deceased brother, but Blaine was worried he would see the dead boy whenever he looked at his son. Now, staring down at his children, however, he knew that it would not be a problem.

"I think this little tike here is probably more like Gavin," he decided thoughtfully, lightly tickling the belly of the dark carmel pup. The other boy – the chestnut brown one – kicked again, as if eager to be named as well. The new fathers both laughed. "Alright, alright, you're next!"

"We were torn between Caleb and Aidan," Kurt reminded softly.

Blaine studied the newborn, who slept curled tightly into a ball between his sisters. "I think he's more of an Aidan...Don't you think?"

Kurt beamed. "Yes, me too..." He stroked Aidan's back with a gentle knuckle. The pup wiggled deeper into Tambri's side, pawing sleepily at the blanket.

They turned to the fourth and final baby. She dozed restfully, seemingly completely content to curl up with her siblings and parents and sleep the day away. "Your turn, sweetie...What do you want to be named, hmm? Evangelin? Samantha? Krista?"

She sneezed.

Blaine pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Krista it is," he grinned. His smile was so wide it nearly hurt. But he didn't care; he was ecstatic. Over the moon. Euphoric. He was laying beside the love of his life, their children nestled between them, a multihued mound of adorable sleepiness. Nothing could beat this.

Kurt yawned.

"You need some rest," Blaine murmured, pressing his lips to Kurt's temple.

"Mkay..."

Kurt settled back down against the pillows on the floor, and he was unconscious almost immediately. Blaine did not move at once, preferring to stay and engrain the sight of his better half stretched out on the blankets, their kids sprawled at his side and on his chest. It was the most breathtaking sight he'd ever been blessed with.

After a moment, he got up and moved to join Kellan in the kitchen.

"How're they doing?" the older man asked gruffly, wringing out one of the stained rags in the sink.

"They're all fine," Blaine sighed blissfully. "Everything's fine...I- Kellan, thank you _so_ much for coming. I don't know what we would have done without you."

Kellan shrugged. "Kurt needed me. So I came. Simple as that. But..." He hesitated for a moment. "I'm worried I won't be able to help him emotionally..."

Blaine's smile flickered. "What do you mean?"

Kellan turned to face him fully. "Blaine, these are the Alpha pups. They're going to have to go through the Pup Fight. You're going to lose two of them, and then when you're twenty-five you're going to have to chose which one will be the next Alpha."

Blaine's face fell in a heartbeat. "I-...I know," he muttered painfully.

"You can't forget that," Kellan pressed. "And Kurt. Especially Kurt. You guys...Just- Just don't get too attached. The purpose of this litter is for the next Alpha. Maybe, you know, you guys can have some more when you're older, but for now they're meant to be-"

"I know!" Blaine snapped, much more curt than he'd ever been with Kellan before. He took a deep, calming breath. "I- I got it. I understand what's going to happen, okay? We both knew right from the beginning how this would go."

Kellan nodded. "I just don't want you two to be heartbroken when the time comes."

Blaine swallowed thickly, said nothing. After a moment, Kellan went back to cleaning out the towels and rags. Blaine briefly checked in on Nick and Jeff, who instantly apologized for his tears and came out to take a picture of the slumbering father and his children to send to the Warblers.

"When do you think he'll be ready for visitors?" the blond wondered.

"Probably not for a while," Blaine suspected. "He's exhausted. Best to just let him rest for now...I'll call you when he's awake and ready for company."

Jeff nodded. He and Nick offered Blaine their congratulations, waved off his thanks, and departed back to Dalton to fill the other Warblers in on the good news. Kellan decided to leave as well, despite Blaine's protests.

"Kurt will want to thank you again," he insisted.

Kellan shook his head. "I don't need any thanks. Just glad to be of help. Tell him..." He sighed, turned for the door. "Never mind. See you, Blaine."

And with that, he was gone.

Blaine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he settled down beside his boyfriend and ran his fingers through his hair, smiling involuntarily at their gorgeous little pups and knowing that it did not matter what would happen in the future; the here and now was too wonderful to ignore.

…

**Let's end it on that happy note for now, shall we? :) Next chapter won't be out for a week or so. Really need to focus on my finals right now...**

**My mother was an obstetrician, which means I grew up with an absurd amount of knowledge about childbirth. However, I know next to nothing about wolf births, so just go with it, okay? ;) I glossed over the details just to be safe; I want to keep this fic at a T.**

**I enjoy being able to just sorta pull Kellan out of the background and throw him in whenever he's needed! Haha the magic of being the author...**

**NOTE: To those of you that have asked/are curious: This fanfic is going to be somewhere around 40-42 chapters long. Have no fear, there's still more to come! ;) I already have most of the finale written out...**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	35. Chapter 35: New Directions

_**NOTE: There's something weird going on with fanfiction(dot)net for me. I'm not getting any emails. So I apologize in advance if I don't respond to your reviews; I don't even know if people are getting updates for my fics anymore! D:**_

**Alright, let me just clear up a couple things:**

**1. I know wolves don't sweat. But werewolves do ;) I always try and combine human and wolf characteristics. Sorry if that threw some of you...**

**2. Yes, all four of them will have to participate in the Pup Fight. (An Alpha can be a Carrier, in which case their mate would be a non-Carrier instead. Tambri and Krista are _not_ excluded from the Pup Fight.) As tradition goes, the last two left standing are supposed to be raised as the next Alphas, to be decided when Blaine turns 25. But don't worry, the Pup Fight won't come up for another few months. Just enjoy the adorable 'puppy love' ;)**

**Okay, now on to the story!**

…

Kurt slept the morning away, and with good reason. He awoke around midday when the pups began to get feisty.

The female organs that had grown in Kurt's human form were quick to disintegrate now that the pups had been birthed. He was very glad to find that, once the bump was gone, he'd gotten back his same toned, flat midriff.

He was even more ecstatic about using his voice again, and he talked nonstop from the moment he awoke, pausing only when he transformed to nurse the pups. They made sure the king-sized bed was warm enough for the sensitive newborns, setting up a space heater on the side-table just to be safe, although the body heat of one or both parents seemed to be enough.

When Kurt gave Blaine the okay, he called Burt and his mother, who both made their way over at once, Miss Ritta arriving before Kurt's father but waiting patiently for him to join them before asking questions left and right, about the birth and their plans and the children.

"What are their names?" she pressed, crouching by the bedside and gazing lovingly at the puppies snuggled into Kurt's side and rolling around playfully. They looked so small and fragile. Kurt and Blaine had already agreed to limit the kids' contact with new people, at least for the first few days, just to be safe. Burt and Miss Ritta willingly agreed. Werewolf pups developed much faster than human or wolf babies, it was true, but they still wanted to make sure their immune systems were strong enough to handle it. The Warblers had even agreed – albeit grudgingly – not to come over for at least twenty-four more hours.

"These two sweethearts are Krista and Gavin," Blaine chuckled, stroking the two sleepier pups curled together by Kurt's arm. Then, gently prying the tussling pair apart, he added, "And these rascals are Aidan and Tambri."

Burt gasped from behind Miss Ritta.

"Tambri?" he breathed.

Kurt nodded. Both Hummel men's eyes filled with water as they met from across the room. "I hope you're okay with that..." Kurt whispered.

Burt sniffed, blinking rapidly. "Course I am," he said gruffly. "It's a wonderful name. Strong. Beautiful. A great name."

Kurt smiled widely. "And Gavin is named after Blaine's brother." He tickled Gavin's chin with the pad of his index finger. "He died when they were still babies..."

Burt nodded. "Good choices, boys. I like them. It may take me a while to distinguish them, but..."

They all laughed.

"But won't Tambri and Krista need different names?" Miss Ritta asked, giggling when Aidan rolled closer to her and batted blindly at her nose. Blaine guided him back towards Kurt's side. Tambri nipped playfully at his ear.

"Yes," Kurt agreed. "Blaine and I are already discussing names, but we're going to wait until their first transformations before switching over. I really like their names...And yeah, they'll just be changed to middle names instead, but still..."

Blaine chuckled and kissed his forehead. "For now, they're just our little girls. We don't have to start calling them all our little boys until their transformations."

Miss Ritta started crying. "'_Our boys,_'" she echoed tearfully. "Oh you two...I'm just- I'm so happy for you both! You're going to be incredible parents! I can just tell!"

Blaine gathered his mother up in his arms and let her sob into his shoulder. Burt came over and sat carefully at the foot of the bed. "I can't even tell you how proud I am of you right now..." he muttered. "You've done something amazing here, Kurt...And I- I know it's going to be hard, and you're going to have to hide behind a lot of lies, but...I want you to know that I'll do everything I can to help, okay? I...I don't care that you guys are teenage parents, or that you're both boys, or that you're only half-human, or any of that. I still want to get to know my grandkids."

And now they were crying as well.

…

The ensuing week was hectic. The Warblers visited often, and Miss Ritta brought numerous baby materials for them that would have been awkward for them to buy themselves and risk being recognized. Burt came by a few times as well, although he lived significantly farther away, so it was harder for him to escape without making Carol and Finn suspicious. The new parents' sleeping patterns were completely skewed. It no longer mattered how high the sun or moon was; it mattered how many pups were awake and begging for attention. They tried their best to get them to all go to sleep at the same time. It didn't always work out.

"Blaine, I love our children, but if they don't quiet down I'm going to smother them with this pillow," Kurt groaned, burying his face into said pillow and trying desperately to block out the yapping. He could recognize their different sounds; this time, they were hungry. Or, more accurately, Gavin and Tambri were hungry. Krista and Aidan were just joining in because their brother and sister were whining and thought they should be a part of it, too.

Blaine sighed, too tired to laugh, scooping up the two hungry pups and grabbing the bottle of warm milk he'd just heated in the microwave. He was dressed in pajamas, his hair a complete mess, his eyes only half-open. It was just barely passed midnight. They'd only been asleep for three hours.

"Sing to them?" he requested.

Kurt moaned again, but forced himself to turn his head so that his face was out of the pillow, pouting adorably. "What song?" he asked groggily, rubbing at his eyes to wake up.

"Blackbird?" Blaine suggested as Tambri sucked at the bottle he offered her.

Kurt managed a tiny snort. "You just love that song, don't you...Alright, alright." He started to sing. Instantly, their kids began to settle down. Krista and Aidan curled up happily under the sheets, letting themselves be lulled to sleep by their father's soft voice. By the time Kurt reached the second chorus, Tambri was fighting to stay awake, only whining weakly when Blaine moved the bottle to Gavin instead.

By the time the song had ended, all four pups were asleep.

"You've got a magical touch," Blaine whispered, setting down the now-empty bottle on the side-table and slipping back into bed, settling Gavin and Tambri next to their siblings. He glanced up at his boyfriend. Kurt was already unconscious again. With a soft chuckle, Blaine kissed his forehead and quickly followed him into a heavy sleep, their children nestled between their chests.

…

Kurt's friends from McKinley came to visit him in the third week following the births. He had managed to avoid them since February, and they were dying to see him again. He felt the same. Blaine took the pups to his parents' house for the afternoon; they agreed that coming up with an explanation for the four newborn wolves was too much of a bother. Kurt felt a bit of anxiety, being separated from his children for the first time, but he knew Blaine would take care of them, and he would have to start getting used to the distance for when he returned to school.

The New Directions arrived only a few minutes after Blaine left with the kids. Automatically, the girls jumped on him, clinging to him and crying and screaming in excitement.

"Oh my god, Kurt, I thought you were dead!" Mercedes nearly sobbed. "Don't you dare do that to me again! I was going through Kurt-withdrawal, and it was _not_ pretty!"

"Yeah, we get that you were busy and under a lot of stress and all, but we missed you," Tina agreed softly.

"I hadn't realized the Dalton curriculum was so intensive!" Rachel nodded.

"It's good to see you again, dude," Puck hailed, clapping him on the back and making him and the group of girls all jolt. "Almost forgot what you looked like..."

"Seriously, man," Finn put in, towering above them as usual. "I haven't seen you in, like, _months_, and we're brothers!"

Kurt laughed. He hadn't realized until he saw them how much he'd truly missed them. They all looked just as he'd remembered them, if not better. "I missed you guys, too." He gave a watery grin. "There was just so much going on, with my new classes and the Warblers and everything, and then I got sick, and I just- I didn't have any time. I'm sorry."

"You're feeling better now, though, right?" Mercedes pressed, the worry clear on her face as she reexamined him.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he sighed happily. He was paler due to staying inside for so long, and there were shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep, but aside from that he was perfectly healthy. Besides, he couldn't _not_ be fine when he was surrounded by his old friends like this.

They settled down around the small living room, overflowing the scant furniture and sprawling across the carpet, and launched into chatter. They filled him in on everything he'd missed, updated him, included him as if he was still one of them. He didn't stop smiling the entire time. It was indescribably nice to just relax with the people he'd grown to know so well and talk about everything and anything. There was a sense of normalcy that he simply couldn't get with the Warblers. These guys didn't know about werewolves. Their ignorance was strangely refreshing.

"So when are you gonna start coming home on weekends again?" Finn asked as they were getting ready to leave. The sun was beginning to set, and they had a two hour drive back home to face.

Kurt hesitated. "Soon," he promised.

"Text me when you do," Mercedes ordered, kissing his cheek. "The girls are going to come over and pamper you silly."

"Sounds heavenly," he laughed.

He stood at the doorway to his apartment and waved long after they'd disappeared from view down the hallway. Then, as if in a dream, he drifted back inside and texted Blaine to tell him it was safe to come home again. Then he flopped down on the couch and took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

It was incredible, how easily they'd accepted everything. He thought he'd be uncomfortable with the lying and break down, but it had gone far smoother than he'd expected. They didn't question his 'illness,' they didn't press into his 'vigorous courses at Dalton,' and they only babbled on for a little bit about his new living conditions. He had worried that they would not buy his story – that he and Blaine had moved in together in order to get a break from the hectic dormitories – but they never doubted him. He'd never given them any reason to question his honesty before. They just gave him a few warnings against moving too fast and then continued on to new topics. It was almost too good to be true.

Thinking about his old friends, and the Warblers, and his father, and his boyfriend, and his children, Kurt decided that he was definitely the luckiest boy in the whole world.

…

**I have a challenge/request for you guys. I want you to create and submit a piece of work (sketch, painting, poem, drabble, noodle art, whatever) regarding the puppies! :D A couple of you have already expressed interest. Go wild with it! You can get it to me however you want; just make sure I know it exists. ;P Tumblr is probably your best bet, using the tag 'puppy love fic'. Pm me if you have any questions.**

**The winner will get a special prize...;)**

**Next chapter: Nationals!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	36. Chapter 36: Nationals

**Oh god.**

**I haven't updated for a month, and for that I am _truly_ sorry. I could give you a dozen excuses, but it wouldn't change anything. Just know that I have _not_ given up on this fic! Just got distracted/preoccupied...*hides***

**If you'd prefer something with more regular updates, you might like to check out my newest fic, "Run This Way." It's a model!Kurt fic, and it updates every Sunday. :)**

…

Nationals arrived faster than any of them realized. All of a sudden, it was only a week away, and they seriously needed to make final decisions on everything. Setlists were decided, choreography was impounded into their memories, hotel rooms were booked. Neither Blaine nor Kurt could handle the possibility of being separated from their babies for three whole days. Not so soon after their births, anyway. And even though Kellan's warning echoed through his head, Blaine ignored it. He couldn't _not_ love each and every one of his children. To assume that he could detach himself from them was insane. So David offered up his family's private jet for transportation to and from New York, and he eagerly took it.

The pups ran rampant through the cabin during the flight, demanding attention from every single Warbler. Attention that was more than willingly given. They'd grown bigger, their fur thickening, their movements more controlled. Their large, shining eyes seemed to absorb everything around them, like sponges.

"When are they going to have their first transformations?" Jeff asked excitedly, chuckling as he watched Nick attempt to control a hyperactive Tambri.

"Soon. The next full moon will mark their third month," Blaine answered, speaking softly so as to not disturb the slumbering Gavin in his lap.

"Have you guys decided on male names yet?" David inquired from across the aisle. He bent over his armrest to pet Krista as she trotted passed. "Carrier names tend to be easily nickname-able, right?"

"Mine isn't," Kurt pointed out.

Blaine leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "You're a special case, honey." He then returned his attention to the dark-skinned Council member. "We were thinking Thomas, for Tambri, and Matthew, for Krista..."

David nodded thoughtfully. "Thomas Tambri and Matthew Krista...I like it!"

The parents laughed lightly.

"So glad we've got your approval," Blaine scoffed playfully.

David laughed as well and accepted the shoulder punch from Wes. "I'm just saying! Having a first name that they can shorten to something of their choice sort of makes up for the fact that their middle names are...well, feminine."

Jeff and Nick exchanged glances. It was a blunt way of putting it but it was true. "My name is Jeffrey Catherine," the blonde revealed with a shrug.

Nick nodded. "Mine is Nicholas Brianna..."

Trent spoke up from the back of the plane. "I'm Trenton Angela!"

David gave a _see-what-I-mean?_ gesture around the cabin. Nick leaned forward in his seat so that he could speak to Kurt, whose expression had turned contemplative and distant. Only Blaine knew why. The others were about to find out. "Hey, Kurt, what's your middle name? Y'know, just out of curiosity..."

Kurt turned to him. "Elizabeth."

Nick frowned in confusion, as did many other boys. "Elizabeth?" he echoed.

Kurt nodded. His hand slipped into Blaine's. "My- My mother's middle name was Elizabeth. Tambri Elizabeth Hummel. Mine used to be Elliot, but when she- when she passed away, I convinced Dad to let me change it."

There was a pause as his words sunk in. "That's really nice," Jeff finally murmured, smiling warmly at the Singer. He smiled back.

Suddenly, he felt a soft tug at his sleeve. Glancing down, he found Aidan biting gently at his cuff. He immediately frowned in worry. Aidan was not normally one to simply nip at a sleeve to get someone's attention; he usually yapped and pawed repeatedly at a pant leg until the person – mainly Kurt or Blaine – focused on him.

"What's wrong, baby?" he whispered. Blaine immediately turned to see who Kurt was talking to. Aidan's ears dropped pitifully and he whimpered. Hiding his worry, Kurt stood up and shooed Flint and Andrew out of the way so that he could transform. Even though none of the kids could talk yet, they tended to get their meaning across better when the parents were in wolf form. _'What's wrong?'_ he asked again.

Meaningless babbling was the response, the little pup snuffling in frustration and rubbing his head against Kurt's forepaw. The chestnut wolf sank down onto his belly in the aisle and bowed his head to lick the usually energetic toddler on the crown of his head. _'Where does it hurt, sweetheart? Here?'_ He licked his nose._ 'Here?'_ His cheek. _'Here?'_ His neck. Aidan whined and pawed at his ears. _Ah_, Kurt realized. _The altitude plugged his ears_. He keened sympathetically and coaxed the pup between his forelegs. The smaller wolf buried his head into the fur on Kurt's neck and upper chest. A laugh rumbled from deep within him.

"Is he alright?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded, licking Aidan's ear and rolling his eyes. Blaine understood. Tambri wandered over and promptly clambered up to the top of Kurt's shoulders, curling up at the base of his neck. The Warblers all cooed at the sight. Seeing that all of her siblings were settled down, Krista leapt up next to Blaine and stretched up towards his head, a paw braced on his thigh near her brother's tail. Blaine leaned down for her to lick his cheek, an adorable ritual she'd picked up from Gavin. She then proceeded to jump down and snuggle up next to Kurt's left side, just behind his elbow, and shut her eyes.

"It's suddenly so much calmer in here," Wes breathed in awe. The other guys laughed quietly in agreement. It was official – the pups had taken over complete control of the Warblers' hearts.

…

Kurt, Blaine, and the pups had their own room at the hotel – which they'd made sure allowed dogs – while the others were split up into three adjoining rooms across the hall. They all ended up converging in the new family's room, though.

"Should we go through a final rehearsal?" Wes suggested eagerly. The entire group groaned. Sensing the displeasure, Aidan and Tambri both yipped incoherently from the bed they were perched on, wide awake after their nap on the plane. It was late, though; most of the Warblers just wanted to crash.

"Wes, Nationals aren't for two days," Jeff pointed out. "We can practice _tomorrow_ night. If we try to do anything tonight I think we'd probably just mess it up in our minds instead of perfecting it."

"And I don't know about everyone else, but right now I want nothing more than a nice long visit to la la land," Flint mumbled. There were a few tired chuckles to back him up.

Wes sighed, but relented. The boys eagerly dispersed back to their own rooms, leaving Kurt and Blaine and their kids in peace.

"How're you feeling?" Blaine murmured, arms slinking around Kurt's waist.

"Excited," grinned Kurt. "I mean, I'm in New York! With my boyfriend, and my children...And we're about to _kill_ at Nationals. Everything is perfect." He pecked Blaine on the lips. "And you?"

Blaine hummed and pressed his lips into Kurt's neck, beneath his ear, inhaling the familiar scent. "If you're happy, then I'm happy." He pulled back and glanced towards their bed. "But I'd be even happier if we took advantage of our alone time..."

Kurt raised an approving eyebrow and grabbed a handful of Blaine's shirt, backing up slowly. "Oh, really? Is that so...?"

Blaine smirked, sinking down onto the bed after Kurt. His lips grazed Kurt's collar bone as he spoke. "Yeah...Very much so..."

Krista sneezed.

They paused, locking eyes, before bursting into laughter. "Perhaps we should just get the kids tucked in and turn in for the night," Kurt suggested regretfully, moving to sit back up. At Blaine's crestfallen expression, he kissed him and added, "We'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow, babe..."

Blaine growled in approval, leaning down to bite gently at Kurt's neck before slipping off the bed and moving to the other, where Tambri and Aidan were play-fighting, Krista seemed to be refereeing, and Gavin was curled up on one of the pillows, watching his siblings in a bored manner. He perked up as his fathers approached.

"Alright you two, break it up. Papa and Daddy wanna get some sleep. You little mood-ruiners are gonna calm down now, right?" He picked Tambri up and soothed her in his arms as Kurt went for Aidan, pulling back the comforter and allowing Krista and Gavin to waddle under first before nudging Aidan to join them.

"You guys behave now, alright?" Kurt warned as Blaine gently deposited the fourth child into the midst of multihued fur in the center of the bed. They all wiggled around, trying to find the perfect position. As soon as Tambri reappeared, Aidan attempted to start up their fight again. "Hey! No. No more of that tonight."

"Maybe we shoulder sleep with them tonight," Blaine mused. "They've only been sleeping on their own for a week now, and this is a strange new place for them..."

Kurt smiled softly. "Good idea."

The two fathers got ready for sleep, pushing the two queen-sized beds together before transforming and clambering up. They laid down on either side of their pups, the little rascals crying out happily when they realized that they would get to sleep with their parents again. Aidan nipped at Blaine's ear, hoping for a friendly tussle, but Blaine gave a warning growl, and he quickly settled back down next to his brother and sisters. Blaine's tail came to rest atop Kurt's at the foot of the bed, Kurt extending his paw to cross over Blaine's in a wolf form of hand-holding. Their offspring was nestled on top of the comforter between them, the larger wolves' body heat more than enough to keep them warm through the night.

_'Good night,'_ Kurt murmured.

_'Sweet dreams,'_ sighed Blaine.

Gavin and Krista each gave their fathers a quick lick on the cheek, and then they too succumbed to sleep.

…

The next morning, Kurt and Blaine were late to the Warbler meeting, and from Kurt's slightly flushed face and Blaine's proud smirk, nobody had to wonder why. Pointedly ignoring their tardiness – Blaine _was_ the Alpha, after all – Wes began with a bang of his gavel on the coffee table.

"You brought that with you?" Nick demanded sleepily. He and Jeff were curled up together at the head of one of the beds. The rest of the group was scattered around the room, standing or plopping down right on the floor when there were no more seats. There had been a space cleared for Blaine and Kurt on the couch, however.

"Naturally!"

David took over. "Nationals, as you all know, is in twenty-four hours. We'll have our final rehearsal tonight in Kurt and Blaine's room-" The couple rolled their eyes at having their room offered up, but said nothing- "at six o'clock. Until then, you're all free to do as you please. Just don't do anything that would disgrace the name of the Warblers or Dalton Academy."

The group tittered. They were werewolves; that in itself was a disgrace, right?

"Come on, babe, let's go to the Gershwin Theatre." Jeff tugged Nick off the bed, and together they led the way out to the hallway, most of the boys following after them to go explore the Big Apple on their day off.

Kurt turned to Blaine and placed a hand on his knee. "Where do you want to go first?"

Blaine grinned and, taking both his hands, pulled him to his feet. "This is your first time in New York – you get to decide. For today, the city is all yours..."

Kurt's smile turned adventurous. "There's not a second to waste, then. Come on!"

…

**Don't forget about the contest, guys! :D Remember, it can be a drabble, a drawing, whatever. The entries I've gotten so far have all been wonderful! :) Please, just make sure I know it exists; I don't want anybody's work to be overlooked. Using the 'puppy love fic' tag on Tumblr, or sending me a pm on here, is your best bet. _I'll announce the winner in the next chapter's AN!_**

**Once again, I sincerely apologize for the unplanned hiatus. FORGIVE ME!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	37. Chapter 37: Finals Again

**Okay I got a request to wait a little bit longer, so the announcement of the winner will be in the next chapter instead! :) Sorry for the wait! The entries so far have been SO cute! :D**

**Also, to anon!Daybreaq: Yes, a Carrier could be an Alpha. If Blaine was a Carrier, then he would have Chosen a non-Carrier to be his mate.**

**Silverfox – where's that noodle-art you promised me, huh? ;)**

**This chapter includes MegumiDarkAurora's request for Sue! Lol not anything big but...*shrug***

…

"Warblers," Blaine began. "We have an issue."

Immediately, the room exploded into chaos.

"We drew a bad performing number?"

"One of our songs was denied?"

"No way! The artists gave us explicit consent to use their songs. I have the paperwork to prove it!"

"Wes, calm down, it's not the songs, it's-"

"Oh god, then it's the slot number we drew! What, are we first? Last?"

"Andrew, shut up, we're not-"

"Have the rules been changed? Do we need more members?"

"I can call my cousin! He can sing!"

"He doesn't go to Dalton, you idiot!"

"Is there something wrong with our uniforms?"

Blaine got to his feet. "Warblers, Warblers! Settle down! Stop jumping to conclusions and listen!" They petered off into silence. "In all of our planning, we forgot to factor in the pups."

There was a drawn out silence. They could all hear the four toddlers in question exploring the room next door. Seeing as how Kurt and Blaine's room was currently filled to capacity with all of the teenage boys, the kids had been allowed to roam through the others' quarters.

"I really don't want to leave them all alone here at the hotel for the whole day," Kurt murmured, almost apologetically. Throughout the day, the pups hadn't been left alone for longer than twenty minutes at a time; there was always at least one Warbler around to keep an eye on them.

"And if either of us stayed, some serious last-minute changes would have to be made," Blaine added. Both of them had solos, not to mention the duet they'd be opening with.

"And I don't trust anybody outside of the pack to take care of them while we're gone," Kurt concluded. Apart from his and Blaine's families, of course. But they were all back in Ohio, so that wasn't an option.

The silence that followed was heavy. Many a glance was exchanged. They all knew what this meant – someone would have to stay behind with the kids, and it wasn't going to be either of their best singers, even if those two best singers happened to be the parents. Not if they wanted to win.

Finally, Jeff spoke up. "I'll stay with them."

"No way!" Nick protested at once. "You've been looking forward to this all year! You can't miss it! I can stay."

"You have a solo," Flint pointed out. "You need to go. I'll do it."

"I don't think so," Wes cut in. "You're our only beat-boxer. We need you there tomorrow!"

The noise level in the room spiked dramatically as everyone began speaking at once, simultaneously volunteering and shooting others down for one reason or another. In the end, though, Trent stood and called above the din, "I'm staying! And that's that!"

"Trent, are you sure?" Kurt worried his bottom lip.

The fellow Carrier smiled reassuringly. "Yeah. I don't have a solo, and out of all of us I probably care the least about this competition. Don't worry about it. You guys go. Go and _win_."

With watery eyes, Kurt crossed the room and drew Trent into his arms, muttering his thanks. Blaine bent down to whisper in Wes's ear. "He better get a solo real soon for this..."

Wes nodded wordlessly in understanding.

…

Kurt's phone positively came alive with incoming texts. Even though they were due onstage any minute, he pulled it out to find an onslaught of motivational and encouraging messages from his New Directions friends. There was even a strange one from Sue Sylvester offering to "exterminate" the competition. (He deleted it at once.) Tears of joy sprang to his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Blaine asked worriedly, placing a gentle hand on Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt just laughed. "I'm great." He scrolled through the texts for Blaine to read. The dark-haired Alpha chuckled at the different ways Kurt's old friends tried to show their support. "We're going to win this, Blaine. I can feel it!"

He grinned. "Well, when we have _you_ singing, how can we not? I mean, let's face it, you _are_ the Singer..."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the pun and lightly shoved his shoulder with his own. "If I actually sung _that_ song, though, all the audience would see is me with my mouth wide open."

"Valid."

Wes called their names. "Come on, we're gonna do a final warm-up..."

Kurt nodded and took a deep breath. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Typical pre-performance nerves. Nothing that he couldn't handle. He had birthed four werewolf pups, after all; everything else seemed significantly less challenging.

_Time to blow the competition out of the water._

…

The pups could sense the excitement, and were getting very hyped up because of it. Kurt briefly tried to calm them down, but to no avail. The high of placing second at Nationals was too powerful to control. So Kurt gave up and just joined in with the celebrations as the Warblers packed up and checked out of the hotel and hailed cabs to take them to the airport. Apple cider bottles were opened as soon as David's family jet took off. Drinks were poured, toasts were made. Blaine even wheedled Kurt into letting the kids have some sweets, despite the lateness of the hour.

Sometime during the flight back to Ohio, the party died down a bit, and the pups slipped into unconsciousness, piled up on a couple of the seats in a heap of multihued fur. A few of the Warblers followed suit. Kurt and Blaine were still too pumped up from the competition to sleep, though.

"I can't believe we actually made it to the top three," Kurt whispered, curled up in Blaine's lap, playing idly with one of his boyfriend's curls.

"Of course we did. We had you with us," Blaine smirked, stealing a kiss. "You were _incredible_, baby..."

Kurt blushed and hid his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. "Not as incredible as you."

There was a comfortable silence between them. Blaine thought Kurt had fallen asleep when the countertenor spoke up again. "I'm scared."

Blaine frowned. "What for?" The instinctive urge to protect, to keep Kurt safe and happy, was overpowering.

"The Pup Fight..."

"Oh." Blaine tensed. They tended to avoid this topic at all costs. It was too painful to think about, much less speak of. He sighed and held Kurt tighter still. "I know, sweetheart..."

"It's not fair," Kurt breathed. Blaine could hear the subdued sobs trying to break through his voice. His own throat constricted. "I love them all so much...How am I supposed to just let two of them _die_?"

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, tried to keep himself together for Kurt's sake. He had to be strong. "We knew from the beginning this would have to happen, Kurt. It's how the Alpha has always been chosen. I can't change that, no matter how much I want to. And trust me, I want to. More than anything." He sighed and kissed Kurt's temple. "Believe me, if there was some way to keep all four of our children alive, I'd do it in a heartbeat. You know that."

Kurt sniffed, a tiny whimper escaping his lips. It nearly killed Blaine to hear it. "I know. I just- I can't believe- It's so-"

"Ssh, it's okay, it's going to be alright," Blaine tried to soothe. It was just as much for himself as it was for Kurt at this point.

"They're not just worthless animals!" Kurt managed to get out through gritted teeth. His sadness was beginning to be infused with anger now. "They _understand_ us, Blaine. R-Remember this morning, before we left for the competition? When we were saying g-goodbye to them?"

Blaine nodded. "You said, 'Wish your daddies good luck.' And they did." The pups had yipped happily, licking both their faces and nuzzling their cheeks.

"They're smart! They know what's going on. How am I supposed to look the surviving two in the eye for the rest of their lives, knowing that I let their siblings die?"

"I-..." Blaine bit his lip, blinked rapidly to hold in his tears, drew Kurt closer until they were basically one entity. He had no answer for Kurt. No answer that could take away the pain they knew would come. "There's always going to be rules and traditions that we'll have to follow. We won't like them, but we'll have to comply with them in the end. This is just...one of the harder ones to come to terms with. But we'll be okay. Everything will work out. It'll be okay..."

Kurt nodded, sniffed, and said nothing more. Because they both knew it most definitely would _not_ be okay. But there was nothing they could do. All they could do was raise and love their children and hope that their hearts didn't completely shatter when they inevitably lost two of their kin to the horror of the Pup Fight.

…

Finals arrived soon after returning from Nationals. Blaine and Kurt were particularly stressed, because they had to juggle their student lives with their parenting lives. Burt and Miss Ritta came over often to babysit the kids while Kurt and Blaine studied, but even then, they both felt overwhelmed.

The Warblers caught them in Dalton's library midway through finals week and sang "Who Let the Dogs Out" for them, sending them both into hysterics. It was a more than welcome break from the nonstop studying they'd been subjecting themselves to.

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Hmm?" The brunette glanced up, a soft smile still lingering on his lips. He'd just finished singing the pups to sleep. The little angels could no longer fit into the cradle they'd originally shared, and were now sleeping in individual cradles lined up on the opposite side of the bedroom from the queen-sized bed. They'd briefly considered dog beds, but soon the kids would be transforming, and it would be degrading to make human babies sleep in dog beds, even if they were half-wolf.

It was the last night of studying, and Blaine had been buried in textbooks and notes ever since coming home that afternoon. His two hardest finals fell on the last day of exams. Kurt had already taken his most challenging tests, so he'd finished his studying for the evening a couple hours ago.

"Can you make me a sandwich?" Blaine requested, eyes flickering up to his boyfriend before returning to his notebook. His hair was a curly mess, his jaw shadowed with stubble, faint bags under his eyes.

Kurt gave a sympathetic smile. "Of course."

He moved to the kitchen and set about making Blaine's late-night snack, knowing exactly how Blaine liked it. He added the turkey slices, slathered on the perfect ratio of mustard and mayonnaise, broke off one large piece of lettuce, sliced up half a tomato and distributed the pieces evenly, cut off the crust. And then he paused, staring down at the sandwich. A strong sense of domesticity overcame him. He had a flash, a vision of sorts, of this same scenario a couple years in the future. The two of them in an apartment in New York, reviewing for university finals, taking care of their children, who would be toddling around the apartment, squealing and laughing and generally wreaking havoc.

He did not realize he'd started crying until a teardrop landed on the sourdough bread.

Because in his vision, all four of their children were still alive.

…

**Oh god I just realized that the Pup Fight is sort of like the Hunger Games which would make me President Snow and wow I'm a sobbing mess right now.**

**If you still want to send me an entry for the contest, feel free! :) Just let me know in a review or pm so that I'll know to be expecting it.**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	38. Chapter 38: Proposition

**Okay so before you throw jackhammers and pickaxes at me, let me just say that I had this chapter typed up for _weeks_! *cowers* I was waiting on a few last-minute entries. I thank you for your patience!**

**It's time to announce the winner! :D But before I do, I just want to thank you all for the _spectacular_ entries. Seriously, guys, you are all _so_ talented! I cried every time I got a new one. Not even sorry. This was literally the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Every single one of you should take a second to give yourself a pat on the back. *tries to do it myself and just gives myself a cramp***

**Alright, drumroll!**

**Congratulations, IfGrassCouldTalk! :D Your drabble was beautiful and heartbreaking, and I cried tears of love when I read it. ;) As your reward, you're going to get a oneshot from this AU of your choosing! Feel free to be as specific as you'd like – characters, scenario, go crazy! :)**

**Thanks again to everyone who participated! I absolutely loved every single one, and wish I could give you all prizes. Here's some cyber-cuddles?**

**How about we get on with the chapter now, hmm?**

…

On the full moon in early June, Blaine and Kurt dropped the kids off with Burt. Kurt had offered to stay home with them, but Blaine insisted on him joining the hunt, even going so far as to pull the Alpha card. Kurt was easily swayed, which was how he found himself on the doorstep of his father's house a little after eight o'clock that evening.

_My house_, he reminded himself. He'd gotten so used to calling the apartment he shared with Blaine 'home' that sometimes he'd forget that it was only temporary. Or at least, that was what he assumed; according to what Blaine had told him of the werewolf traditions, the Alpha was only bounded to his mate for the length of the pregnancy. Technically, Blaine could decide to return to their own families' houses whenever he desired, and Kurt would have no choice but to go along with it. But Blaine had already sworn that he wanted to take care of their kids just as much as Kurt, and insisted that Kurt not take all the responsibility of raising them.

"Hey, kiddo! Good to see you again," Burt greeted when he answered the door, stepping back to allow the four pups to scamper inside out of the cold, their nails scrabbling on the wood and making them slide into one another. "Blaine, you too. Come in, come in!"

"Thanks so much for doing this, Dad," Kurt said earnestly.

"My pleasure," he assured, ushering the teenagers into the living room where the children were play-fighting in front of the gated fireplace. "Carol has the nightshift at the hospital tonight and Finn is over at Puck's for some video game marathon, so it'll be nice to have some company." He glanced down at his grandkids fondly before something struck him. "They...They're not gonna, like, turn into humans randomly, right?"

Kurt and Blaine both laughed lightly. "No," the countertenor promised. "This is only their first full moon. Werewolf pups don't have their first transformations until they're about three months old. You don't have to worry about that."

"They'll probably get hungry again in a couple of hours," Blaine warned. "If you have any cold cuts, they'd probably really appreciate it – they're going to be craving meat tonight, what with the full moon and all."

"Got it. Will do."

"If they get thirsty, just heat up some milk," added Kurt. "Especially when they get sleepy. Puts them right out, like that!" He snapped his fingers. "And if they get too antsy-"

"Kurt!" the older man butted in, amused. "I _am_ a father, you know. I've taken care of toddlers before. I think I can handle it."

"Not werewolf toddlers!" he defended.

"They're not much different," Blaine pointed out. His arm slunk its way around Kurt's waist. "We should probably get going. We promised the others we'd meet up at nine."

They said goodbye to the kids, thanked Burt once more, and departed, only transforming once they were hidden from view in the trees. The rest of the Warblers were already on their way to meet them halfway, but even so, they hurried.

_'Relax,'_ Blaine soothed, sensing his boyfriend's unease. _'Your father will take good care of them. It's not like we haven't been apart from them before.'_

_'I know, I know, I just worry about them. Can you believe they're already a month old?'_

Blaine's lips curled up in a smile as he easily cleared a fallen tree, running on without so much as a stutter in his pace. _'No, not really. Time's flown...'_

_'I want to spend as much time with all of them as possible before they-...before the-...'_

Blaine knew what he was thinking about. _'Don't. Just focus on something else,' _he advised, so firmly it sounded more like an order.

And so he didn't think about it. Kurt focused on the hunt instead. Within five minutes of meeting up with the rest of the Warblers, Blaine teamed up with Nick to take down a doe and a stag. Kurt settled for a few smaller woodland mammals, though, unable to stomach the sight of the fallen beasts. He was still unnerved by the killing of innocent creatures, but he couldn't deny the power and satisfaction that coursed through his body every time he felt that fatal crunch beneath his paw.

Blaine brought back two squirrels for the kids. When Burt answered the door a second time and spotted the bloody creatures in his hand, he flinched back. Kurt was glad to know it wasn't just him.

"They're for the pups," Blaine explained.

"I- Yeah, you were right about the whole craving-meat thing," Burt said, eyes still fixated on the squirrels as he let them inside.

"I'll get some towels. Blaine, make sure none of that gets on the carpet." Kurt strode down the hall towards the linen cupboard as Blaine and Burt moved into the living room, where the children were lounging on the couch in various states of sleepiness. When the smelled the raw meat, however, they immediately perked up. Kurt returned with a couple ratty old towels and laid them out on the floor.

"Hey, that's not just yours!" Blaine chastised, holding Aidan back when he tried to claim one of the squirrels for himself.

"Share, Aidan. There's more than enough." Kurt indicated Gavin and Krista, who were calmly tearing the second squirrel apart between them, yapping their approval and thanks between bites. "See?"

Kurt and Blaine sat with Burt on the couch and caught up while their pups devoured the raw meat at their feet, and by the time it was time to leave, Tambri and Aidan's muzzles were matted with blood and Gavin was gnawing on a tiny bone. Kurt grimaced at the sight. As adorable as his offspring were, there was nothing cute about squirrel entrails. He insisted on washing them off in the kitchen sink – "There's no way I'm letting you rascals get blood and guts on my back!" – before setting off towards Westerville.

…

"So I have a proposition for you," Blaine began in a whisper as they tiptoed inside their apartment, careful not to wake their sleeping pups.

"Does this proposition involve a bubble bath and about twenty-four hours of sleep?" Kurt joked, gently putting Krista and Tambri down in their separate cribs. It was well passed midnight, after all, and he was exhausted.

Blaine chuckled as he did the same with the other two. "No, but that can definitely be arranged."

Kurt was already stripping and heading for the bathroom. "Join me?"

"Of course." Blaine followed him, removing his own clothing as he went. He did not speak again until they were both submerged in the hot water, Kurt's back pressed to his chest, his chin resting on the crown of Kurt's head, their arms interlinked around Kurt's waist. "So, I was thinking..."

"Hmm?"

"What would you say if I asked you to live with me?"

Kurt snorted softly. "Um, hate to break it to you, Blaine, but we kinda already _are_."

"No, I mean...Make this a more permanent arrangement. You know, instead of moving back in with our parents...I was sort of hoping we could continue living here, together. Or at least until college." He glanced down at Kurt's motionless form. "Sweetie? Talk to me?"

"I-...I'd love to." His voice was high and breathless.

"Really?"

"Yes." He twisted around to press his lips to Blaine's in a passionate kiss that left them both light-headed. "I want to stay with you for the rest of my life, Blaine..."

Blaine smiled nervously and cleared his throat. Kurt felt it through his chest. "I- I'm glad you just said that, Kurt, because I...The second part of my proposition was asking for your hand in Binding."

Kurt sat up so quickly some water sloshed over the side of the tub. Neither of them noticed. "Binding?" he repeatedly. "Y-You mean, like, werewolf marriage?" _Married to Blaine. His official Partner. Is this all a dream?_

"Yeah." Blaine wet his lips anxiously, golden-hazel eyes flickering over Kurt's face, trying to read the emotions that flashed over it. "I just..." His hand came up to stroke Kurt's cheek. "I _love_ you, Kurt. You're the love of my life, and I can't imagine being without you. When- Whenever I think about my future, you're always part of it, every step of the way. And- And I know we'll have our fights and our disagreements and we'll be stressed out of our minds learning how to raise our kids, but I- I want to do it all with you. Everything. The ups and the downs. I want to be there at your first Broadway show, and when we get our first house, and when we're allowed to legally marry, and...Kurt, you're my _everything_. _Forever_."

Kurt was crying by this point; the silent tears slid down his cheeks and dropped down into the thinning bubbles. "I- I love you so much, Blaine," he choked out.

Blaine's heart raced with hope. "Can I take that as a yes, then...?"

Kurt laughed wetly. "Yes. _Yes_, Blaine, I want to be Bound to you."

Now Blaine was crying a bit too. They were both hugging and sniffling and laughing and kissing and nothing else in the world existed, because they were going to be Bound to the person they loved, and really, what else mattered?

…

Burt was the first person they told. He was surprisingly okay with it; they'd been expecting an explosion of rage and multiple death threats upon Blaine and a long lecture about how they were too young for that kind of step. But he just congratulated them both and pointed out that, compared to the decision to Turn Kurt, this was just the expected next step, although he confessed he thought they'd wait a little longer. But he was supportive. He even helped move the rest of Kurt's things to their apartment in Westerville over the following weekend.

Carol came along this time with a plate of homemade brownies. She'd known that they were living together, but this was her first time actually visiting the apartment. The short tour ended with a passionate speech about responsibilities and respect and love and all the pros and cons of living with a significant other, especially at their age, and with "pets" (Blaine had subtly covered Krista's ears at that). By the end, Carol was teary-eyed, Kurt was beet red, and Burt and Blaine were holding back laughter.

The Binding ceremony was set for the winter solstice. After much debate, Kurt decided it would be best not to invite his Lima friends. As much as he wanted them there with him on his special day, there was no way he could pretend it was anything other than _marriage_. An odd form of marriage, valid, but undeniably a uniting ritual between two people. And they would definitely get suspicious from the traditional words spoken during the Binding; mentioning the pack and werewolf sacredness was not something he felt would really go over well. So instead he just invited his father, who happily accepted.

"Like I'd miss my own son's wedding!" he'd beamed.

"Binding," Kurt had corrected, his smile equally wide as he buried his face into his father's shoulder to hide his tears. Not that he was fooling anyone.

"Same difference."

Kurt's friends from New Directions came over to visit them every now and then, sometimes as a group, other times in one and twos. The Warblers would often do the same, resulting in tripping over legs and cramped couches and a near-deafening chatter. The pups loved the company, although Gavin was shyer around crowds and tended to stay in the bedroom with Krista when the numbers of people became too much. Tambri and Aidan thrived in the attention, though.

The kids joined their parents on the July hunt, although they never managed to catch anything. Aidan got into a fight with a raccoon, before Blaine snapped its neck and then pretended it had been Aidan's kill. Kurt and Blaine caught more than enough meat for them all; it was a strange form of family time, but it still felt good.

He managed to almost completely forget about the Pup Fight.

…

On the second morning of August, Kurt was roughly shaken awake by his betrothed.

"Kurt! Kurt, come on, get up."

"Wha's it?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Listen."

He did, and the soft babbling coming from the opposite side of the room made him tense, eyes flying wide, sleepiness suddenly forgotten.

"They-...!"

"Transformed!" Blaine finished for him breathlessly. They both leapt out of bed and hurried to the cribs where, sure enough, their children were now distinctly less wolfish. Four beautiful human baby boys were curled up in their cribs, tangled in their blankets, their movements hesitant and jerky now that they were adjusting to this new form. Their short hair was the same color as the fur that had once coated their whole bodies. Tambri – Caleb, now – gazed up at them questioningly with his bright hazel eyes. Blaine's eyes. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was unintelligible baby-speak. Goo-goos and gaa-gaas and a whole lot of random syllables. Kurt felt tears rolling silently down his cheeks even as he beamed down at his children.

"You know what this means, right?" Blaine whispered, reaching down to tuck Krista's – no, Matthew's – blanket more snuggly around him. He latched onto Blaine's thumb with his tiny hand, and Kurt heard Blaine's sharp intake of breath. Then his own tears began to fall as well.

"It means tonight we're going to be losing two of them forever."

…

**OH MY GOD NO WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?**

**If you'd like to flail at me or scold me for my slow updating or guess which pups will win or ask questions or ramble incoherently about your displeasure at the upcoming Pup Fight, feel free to go to my Tumblr! :D **xbleedingblackrosex** Join the insanity!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	39. Chapter 39: The Pup Fight

**Oh dear lord so much angst. Here have some buckets for your tears.**

…

The boys' movements were awkward. They crawled around the apartment for most of the morning, testing out their mobility with their new bodies. Seemingly enamored by their own voices, they babbled nonstop at Kurt and Blaine and each other, although most of it was unintelligible nonsense. All of their first real words were either 'dada' or 'papa.' (They had decided early on that Kurt would be 'Dad,' and Blaine would be 'Papa.' They'd agreed not to use those names until the kids' first transformations, though.)

Blaine reluctantly called the Council members to give them the news. Wes and David were both solemn and apologetic, considering what they knew this meant for the new family. Jeff, however, was excited to see the babies in their human forms and demanded pictures. Somehow, that made it even worse.

His father was going to be the Advisor – a previous pack member who understood the proceedings and rules of the Pup Fight, and would judge fairly. Since he'd had limited contact with his grandkids so far, he was impartial enough to qualify for the role.

The children were not given anything to eat that day, in accordance with tradition. They would be more likely to attack one another that way. When they began to whine and paw at Kurt's pant legs around midday, the Singer burst into tears. Blaine had him step outside for a moment to get himself together. But he knew it would make no difference, or solve anything; the Pup Fight would come no matter how many tears they shed.

…

It was time to head over to Blaine's parents' house, but Kurt was having none of it.

"_How_ can you be okay with this?" Kurt shouted through his tears, blocking the doorway to the bedroom. "How can you let them do this? These aren't just stray _dogs_, Blaine! They're our _children_! They're the embodiment of our love! How can we-...I can't just-...!"

Blaine swallowed, eyes wet. Each word tore at his heart. "Kurt, babe, I don't want to do this any more than you do..." His voice cracked. He shook his head in defeat. "But we don't have a choice. The offspring of the Alpha and his mate are destined to fight. I can't do anything to stop it..."

Kurt collapsed to the floor in the doorway, his arms wrapped around himself, trying not to completely fall to pieces. Sobs wracked his body. "M-My little angels..." he whispered. "T-Two of them are going to _die_! H-How...How can I a-accept that?"

Blaine was crying too now. He crouched down and enveloped Kurt in his arms, offering what consolation he could. He wanted to look on the bright side, but he couldn't see it. Half of his children were about to kill the other half. It was unfathomable. So they just crouched there on the carpet, clinging to one another and trying desperately to keep each other together so they could get through this without utterly losing themselves to depression.

It definitely wouldn't be easy. Simply opening the front door felt like the hardest thing Blaine had ever had to do.

…

The infamous cage was already set up in the sitting room when they arrived. Blaine's father and the rest of the pack were there, standing around the edge of the room, looking somber. Nick even had silent tears sliding down his face. The pups, seeming to sense their parents' distress, remained subdued and quiet.

"Who do you think will win?" Wes asked gently, drawing up beside Blaine.

The Alpha cleared his throat, hoping the lump would go away. It did not. "Tam- Sorry, _Thomas_ and Aidan are probably the strongest...But Gavin can get pretty vicious when he's angry..." He turned to his father. "Where's Mom?" he inquired quietly.

"Upstairs," Mr. Anderson muttered. "Said she couldn't watch."

Kurt felt the same, but he didn't say as much.

They put them down in the cage, Kurt kissing each of their heads before Blaine did the same. They sat up on their hind-legs, looking confused. _What's going on?_ their eyes seemed to ask of the parents. _Why are you putting us in here? Are we in trouble? _Kurt did his best to smile reassuringly down at them. The tears in his own eyes ruined the effect, however, and just made the children more upset. "I love you," he mouthed.

"I'm assuming everybody knows how this will go?" Mr. Anderson addressed the room.  
>"The final two survivors will be raised as the potential successors to the current Alpha, Blaine, who will choose between them when he turns twenty-five, et cetera, et cetera?" The Warblers nodded their understanding. Kurt hated how calm they all were. As if the lives of two of his offspring meant nothing. Especially Mr. Anderson – these were <em>his<em> grandkids, after all. But he remained emotionless. "Alright. Then I suppose we can begin."

Kurt's grip on Blaine's hand was bone-crushing as the former Alpha flipped the switch, and the cage hummed to life.

They did not immediately leap at each other's throats, as Kurt had feared. In fact, nothing seemed to change at first; they continued to sit on the floor, gazing around at their audience with curiosity, crying out every now and then for Dad or Papa to come pick them up, to feed them, to comfort them. It went against every instinct in Kurt's body to stay where he was and not go to them at once.

But then Aidan, always the more adventurous of the four, tried to climb out. The second his paw touched the metal, the whole cage sparked with electricity, and he yelped in pain and fell back, knocking over Thomas, whose tail accidentally brushed the cage, initiating another zap. Thomas growled angrily at Aidan, who bared his teeth right back. Matthew batted at Thomas to try and get him to back down. Thomas just bit at his paw, though, and he withdrew quickly, whimpering. Gavin – who had always been closer to Matthew than either of his other brothers – stepped in front of Matthew protectively. He barked a reprimand at Thomas. The black-furred pup just snarled. After a beat, he lunged, knocking Gavin off his paws.

Kurt clasped a hand over his mouth to stifle his cry. Blaine gently guided his head down so it was buried in the Alpha's shoulder. But Blaine himself was unable to look away; he was transfixed, like watching a multi-vehicle car crash in slow motion. A crash in which each of his children were at the wheel. Without seatbelts.

Thomas and Gavin scuffled for a little, until Gavin's back leg hit the cage, and the electricity shot around the perimeter once more. He cried out, and the two of them instantly separated. Matthew came over and licked at the part of Gavin's hind-leg that had touched the metal. He winced. Thomas tried to push Matthew away. His yip of indignation caused Aidan to plant himself firmly between the two Carriers.

Blaine gasped involuntarily. "Oh my god," he breathed, so quietly only Kurt – who had his face pressed to the curve of Blaine's neck – heard him. "They're protecting one another..."

Kurt peeked out from his hiding place. After a moment of watching the pups interact in the cage, he realized that Blaine was right; although riled up and feisty and short-tempered and on-edge, they were always quick to break up the fights between each other. Their strikes were never meant to hurt.

The pups were quick learners. Within five minutes they realized that fighting tended to lead to setting the cage off. So instead they huddled together in the center, glowering at the spectators and the metal surrounding them, occasionally kicking at one another but for the most part ignoring their siblings. Matthew caught Kurt's eye and tilted his head. _What do you want from us? What did we do to deserve this? _Kurt couldn't take it; he buried his face once again into Blaine's shoulder.

"I've never heard of anything like this happening," Mr. Anderson muttered. He was studying the pups incredulously, as if waiting for them to change their minds and attack.

"They're not going to kill each other," Nick pointed out quietly. "And there can't be two winners if they don't fight...!"

Kurt and Blaine were staring at Mr. Anderson so intently they were almost surprised he didn't catch on fire from the intensity of their gazes. Kurt's fingers were crossed, and Blaine's nails were digging into his thighs, grounding himself.

Finally, the older man seemed to come to a conclusion. "If the participants are unable to complete the Pup Fight, there is nothing the current pack members are obligated to do in order to create two winners. Therefore, the logical path would be to have the current Alpha choose his successor from all _four_ pups when he turns twenty-five. Are there any protests to this course of action?" The room was dead silent; everyone held their breath. Kurt grabbed Blaine's arm in a death grip. "Very well. This Pup Fight is over. The winners are Gavin, Thomas, Aidan, and Matthew."

The switch was flipped. Kurt burst into tears of relief.

"Oh my god, my babies," he choked, rushing to pull the kids out of the cage and burying his face into their fur, Blaine by his side doing the same. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry you had to go through that...I promise it will never happen again." Blaine and Kurt were both on the floor, arms full of their children, who seemed extremely grateful to be out of that hated cage, confused as to what had just happened, and upset that their parents were so emotional.

"Ssh, it's okay now," Blaine murmured, speaking to all six of them. "It's all okay now..."

They didn't notice, but most of the others in the room were crying as well.

…

**Go on. Explode in my reviews. Or on Tumblr. Come at me, bro! ;)**

**The previous Alpha pups had all been raised to kill, to be vicious towards one another. Being raised by Kurt, however – and Blaine, for that matter – instilled in them a sense of love and kindness that could not be destroyed by pain and suffering. Their bonds as brothers could not be broken. And it was all thanks to the tender loving care they'd been raised with. _Without knowing it, Kurt had found a way to defeat the Pup Fight._**

**Very short, because the next chapter is the beginning of the finale! Which should be 2-4 chapters, depending on how I break it up...So that's exciting!**

**Kisses,**

**~BleedingBlackRose**


	40. Chapter 40: Showdown

**I haven't updated in approximately forever.**

**There's no valid excuse.**

…

Summer was drawing to an end. Classes would be starting up again soon. As a final act of freedom before the pressures of senior year kicked in, Kurt and Blaine agreed to met up with a few of their McKinley friends at Breadstix. To their surprise, Brittany practically begged to let her "puppy-sit" for them.

"They're just so cute!" she'd said in way of explanation.

"Don't worry, I'll be with her," Santana had added, knowing all too well what a fiasco it would be to let the blonde cheerleader look after the pups all by herself.

Not entirely reassured, but unable to come up with a logical excuse, they agreed. As they were leaving – rambling off unnecessary details about how best to take care of the "pets" – Blaine confessed that he felt a little uneasy.

"What, you mean like a stomachache?" Kurt asked, unlocking the car. "Because you skipped lunch; you're probably starving."

"No, it's not that." He frowned. "It's more just...nerves. Like something bad is going to happen."

Kurt laughed. "Don't be silly! I'm sure they'll be fine. Those little rascals survived the summer with the Warblers _and_ New Directions. I'm confident they can get through an evening with Brit and Santana."

Blaine sighed. "I don't know. Never mind. It's probably nothing."

As it turned out, though, it most certainly was _not_ nothing.

…

Kurt got the phone call halfway through dinner. Exchanging a worried glance with Blaine, he answered on the second ring. "Hey, San, what's-?"

"Kurt! Kurt, oh my god!" Her voice was thick with panic; it seeped through the phone, infected both parents, who were listening intently.

"Santana? What is it? What's wrong?" the countertenor demanded.

"I- They- Oh my god!" She was crying now, her fear pulsing through Kurt's own veins. Blaine wordlessly slid out of the booth and headed for the door; Kurt quickly followed. They did not look back to see their friends' baffled expressions.

"Santana!" Kurt practically shouted. "Calm down and tell me what happened! Please!"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Th- There were these- these _monsters_. They broke down the door and they- they took them. They took the puppies! And they hurt B-Brit! Sh-She tried to stop them and she- Oh god, Kurt, there's blood, I don't know what to-"

"Stay where you are," Kurt commanded, his terror thankfully not coming through in his tone, despite the fact he felt like he was drowning in it. They were running now, probably faster than they should have been in public, but they didn't care. Their children were the only thing that mattered right now. "Is it critical? Does she need immediate care?"

"She- I'm not sure, there's just so much blood-"

Brittany's voice broke in from the background, weak but determined. "I'm fine. You make it sound worse than it is. Tell them I'm alright. They need to get their furry babies back..."

Kurt's ears were ringing and his pulse was racing. They breeched the tree-line and Blaine transformed. Kurt leapt up onto his back so that he could stay on the phone, even though every nerve in his body was screaming for him to transform as well, to hunt, to protect. "Santana, this is very important, I need to you tell me: What did they hurt Brittany with?"

Blaine growled; he knew what Kurt's fear was.

"Wh- What?" she gasped distractedly.

"Did they bite her? Scratch her? Push her into something?"

"Um, they- One of them scratched her. Why the hell does that matter? She's still hurt!"

Kurt breathed a small sigh of relief. "Because if they'd bitten her, she would have become one of them. That, or died."

The Latina burst into tears again. "Jesus, Kurt, what _are_ they?"

"I- I'll tell you later. We're on our way. We'll be there soon." Which was true; Blaine was running faster than he'd ever run before. The trees were positively flying by. "Just stay on the phone with me until we get there, okay? Keep talking..."

…

They would have busted down the door when they arrived had it not already been broken off its hinges. Santana leapt up from where she had been sitting on the couch next to Brittany. The blonde girl was laying horizontal, her shirt rolled up, her midriff wrapped in bandages.

"How is she?" Kurt breathed.

"She's losing a lot of-"

"I'm _fine_, San," Brittany insisted. Blaine knelt in front of the couch and gingerly checked her wound. It was a long scratch, from belly-button to hip, but not deep enough to do any vital damage.

"She'll be alright," Blaine confirmed. "But Santana, take her to the hospital, just to be safe. She needs stitches. And maybe some blood transfusions."

She nodded and followed behind closely as he lifted Brittany from the couch and carried her down to Santana's car, a beat-up old Toyota.

"When this is all over, you two owe me a _huge_ explanation," she warned out the window before speeding away. Blaine glanced at his betrothed. Now was not the time to worry about what they would say to the two girls. That was a matter for a later time.

"You smelled it, didn't you?"

Kurt nodded stiffly. "Thad. I didn't recognize the other scents, though."

"I did."

"Who were they?"

Blaine's jaw clenched; his hazel eyes flashed dangerously. "Rick. And the rest of the Canadian pack."

…

The Warblers met up with them in record time. They sped through the forest, following the trail, guided by their sense of smell, tracking down the kidnappers. They were apparently headed north, no doubt up into Canada, where they would be able to use their familiarity with the land to their advantage. Blaine refused to let them get that far, though.

_'Don't blame yourself,'_ Kurt advised. The two of them were heading the charge, following the scent of Thad and the faint, hardly noticeable trace of their kids. The other wolves had woven here and there, clearly trying to lead them astray._ 'This isn't your fault.'_

_'I should have known,'_ he snarled, smashing through a low-hanging branch as if it were nothing more than a twig. It shattered into a million splinters. _'I could feel that something had been off all day, but I ignored it. And now they've taken them, our babies, right out from under our noses. I'm the Alpha, Kurt, I'm supposed to protect everyone, yet I can't even protect my own flesh and blood!'_

_'Blaine, stop,' _Kurt pled. _'Don't do this to yourself. We'll get them back. We will.'_

_'I hope so.'_

_'I _know_ so.'_

Blaine gave Kurt an appreciative glance, before growling and adding, _'I want the pleasure of killing Rick myself.'_

Kurt bared his teeth in a murderous grin._ 'Be my guest.'_

…

Near the Canadian border, new scents appeared. Familiar scents.

_'What are you guys doing here?'_ Blaine demanded. Jim, Daniel and Ryan exchanged glances before Jim stepped forward.

_'We're here to help.'_

_'With what?'_

_'Fighting the Canadian pack, obviously!'_ Ryan put in, flexing his claws. _'Those assholes kicked us out of the pack – it's time for payback.'_

_'But how did you guys know-?'_

_'That Kellan guy,' _Jim answered._ 'He wishes you luck, by the way, and says he wishes he could still transform so he could help fight. He wants to destroy them just as much as we do, I think.'_

_'We don't need luck,'_ David smirked. _'We're going to tear them to pieces. Nobody messes with the Alpha pups and lives.' _Kurt snarled his agreement.

Daniel piped up. _'You guys helped us. We just want to return the favor.'_

Blaine smirked._ 'Welcome aboard.'_

…

**Sorry if this one was sort of short and rushed...I'm just trying to get to the next part ;) Sorry for the delay! We're super close to the end. Like, **_**super**_** close.**

**Kisses,**

**~Bleedingblackrose**


	41. Chapter 41: Family END

**Yes, I realize I procrastinated for forever on this final update. Here's a summary to get you back up to date: Thad and the Canadian pack kidnapped Kurt and Blaine's kids while Brittany and Santana were babysitting. The Warblers are chasing them. The wanderers (Jim, Daniel and Ryan) joined their side. And that's what you missed, on _Puppy Love!_ ;)**

**This chapter includes leahmo34's quote: "Happiness is the heart full of laughter."**

…

A few miles further north, they finally caught up with the Canadian pack, and they attacked without mercy. Driven by revenge, the wanderers fixated upon Rick – even little Daniel, his teeth bared, claws at the ready. Kurt, however, only had eyes for the bag Thad held in his mouth, a bag that was squirming and emitting tiny, pitiful whimpers. They had transformed into their wolf forms in their panic; Kurt could hear their cries of _'Daddy! Papa!'_ It tore at his heart.

_'Go!' _Blaine urged. _'We'll deal with the assholes here. Go get the kids!'_

Kurt did not need to be told twice.

He chased Thad away from the rest of the battle, cutting him off just as they reached a small clearing near a lakeshore. The sack of pups swung dangerously.

_'Please!'_ Kurt begged, one paw partially extended towards Thad. Or, more precisely, towards the sack that dangled from his teeth. At the sound of Kurt's voice, Thomas whined and called out.

_'Daddy? Daddy, I'm scared!'_

The sound tore at Kurt's heart. _'Please,'_ he repeated, voice quiet with despair._ 'Give me my children back. Don't hurt them...Just, please, don't-'_

_'You took everything from me,'_ Thad snarled. His dark, wild eyes flickered back towards the main fight, where howls of pain and rage continued to float to them on the nighttime breeze. Kurt knew Thad understood his situation; he was outnumbered and overpowered. His only leverage left was the bag of pups. _'I lost my friends, my girlfriend, my school, my pack...This is payback! You have no idea what kind of pressure I was under. Do have _any_ idea what it's like to grow up with parents that never gave me the time of day? I _needed_ to be the Alpha's Carrier! Then they would have realized I wasn't worthless, that I had a purpose! But you wouldn't even let me have _that_, could you?'_

Kurt heard racing footsteps behind him, and then Blaine trotted up to stand by his side, his side matted with blood but otherwise not visibly harmed. Thad growled warningly at the new arrival and took a few steps back. Kurt glanced to Blaine and gave him a significant look, one only Blaine could interpret. _We need to do it._

Blaine looked hesitant. This was never something they thought they'd have to implement. But desperate times called for desperate measures, so he gave the slightest of nods and turned back to the smaller wolf. His claws flexed against the forest's floor.

_'Thad...'_ Blaine took an tentative step closer. Thad backed up further, eyes narrowed. One of the pups – Kurt was pretty sure it was Gavin – gave a tiny whimper. _'Thad, you don't have to do this. What do you want? Just give us our kids back and we can talk-'_

_'I don't want to talk!' _Thad roared._ 'I want you to suffer the way I suffered!'_

_'Blaine, now!' _Kurt screamed, switching to his human form.

And then he Sang.

Thad immediately froze. Blaine, however, leapt forward, ears pressed flat and a grimace on his face, but still mobile. Thad was too paralyzed by the Song to escape; the Alpha's teeth sank deep into his neck, claws slashing at his sides. The sudden impact made him drop the sack. Instantly, Kurt lunged forward and caught it before it could hit the ground, his Song cutting off abruptly as he lowered the bag gently and freed his children from within the confines. They immediately crowded around him, whining and scrabbling to be as close to him as possible, nuzzling against him and licking any skin they could reach. He held them close, crying in relief.

"You're safe now," he whispered over and over, for all their sakes. "Everything's okay now. You're alright. Everything's gonna be alright..."

Aiden licked a couple tears off of his face, and he gave a watery laugh. Thomas clambered up onto Kurt's shoulder, fur tickling his ear. The incomparable happiness he felt at having them back in one piece was indescribable. He couldn't stop staring at them, as if to reassure himself that they really were alive.

The Warblers arrived just as Blaine struck the final blow, and Thad stilled at last. They were all in various states of health; some were limping, hardly conscious, while others looked fairly unharmed. They transformed and collapsed across the clearing, smiling in relief when they saw the four pups clambering all over Kurt.

"What happened?" Wes asked, leaning against the base of a tree.

Blaine transformed as well, wincing and clutching at his right side. A large gash could be seen through his shirt across his ribcage. It would definitely take a few days to recover from it. "Kurt Sang. Threw Thad off enough for me to attack."

"Weren't you under the same effects, though?" Jeff pointed out.

Blaine shook his head and knelt beside Kurt. The young wolves immediately yipped happily and scuttled over to greet him as well. He gave them all fond smiles. "We've been practicing for months. Training ourselves. The kids and I have been building an immunity to the Song, I guess you could say. It's still weak – I doubt we could ever develop a full block against it – but it's enough. I could fight through it enough to move, at the very least. That's all that matters. Never thought we'd actually have to use it, though..."

"Hopefully we'll never have to use it again," Kurt agreed.

Blaine glanced around. "Where'd Ryan and the others go?" he inquired.

"Left," David shrugged. "Soon as the fight was over. They mentioned going back to Canada with the few survivors starting a new pack."

"I doubt we'll be having any trouble with the Canadian pack from now on," Wes added with a smile. The group chuckled weakly. They were tired, exhausted with relief and a sense of finality. It had been a very, very long night.

Wes assigned Trent and Flint to deal with Thad's body. Kurt, despite his insatiable hatred for the abductor of his children, couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Thad was still so young. _What will they tell his parents?_ Kurt couldn't imagine getting that sort of news concerning his own boys. He finally knew how his mother must have felt; he would do _anything_ to keep his kids safe.

They made their way back home. The sun was rising by the time Kurt and Blaine made their sluggish way up the stairs to their apartment, pausing in the broken-down doorway when they found none other than their friends from New Directions.

"What the hell happened here?" Mercedes demanded the moment she spotted the couple.

"What- Why are you guys here?" Kurt deflected. He handed Matthew and Gavin over to Blaine, who took all four sleeping pups back into the bedroom.

"Well, you two ran out of Breadstix like there was a fire or something, and neither of you were answering your phones so we finally decided to come to check on you, only to find your door busted down and blood on the couch!"

Kurt winced. _We still owe Santana and Brittany a huge explanation...I don't think we can lie our way out of it with them. But these guys haven't seen anything._ "Brittany was trying to alter her clothing with a kitchen knife when they were still on her body and accidentally cut herself. Santana was so freaked out she pulled the door right off the hinges when she rushed her to the hospital. The puppies got out so we had to go track them down."

Somehow, they all seemed to accept that as a believable tale. Kurt made a mental note to text Santana and fill her in on the cover story so she could play along. He'd explain the truth to her later. He was sure the Council would have something to say about it, too.

"We should go check on Brittany," Rachel decided.

Kurt nodded. "Good idea." He stepped aside to let them pass. Finn offered to help put the door back into place, but Kurt waved him off; he didn't want his step-brother to hang around any longer than was necessary. When they were gone, Kurt lifted the door and set it back into place. It wasn't a proper fix, but it would do for the night, until they could get a professional to come in the morning.

By the time he made it to the bedroom, Blaine had already put the kids to bed. Kurt paused and gazed down at their four children, all in human form now, all fast asleep.

Kurt began to laugh. He wasn't even entirely sure why.

"What?" Blaine asked, although a smile was spreading across his own face.

"I- I don't know. I just- I'm so happy right now." _Happiness is the heart full of laughter._

Blaine wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, and the countertenor rested his head on the shoulder of his betrothed, careful of the nasty slash across Blaine's ribcage. "It's all over," the Alpha murmured. "We're safe. Our family is safe. Everything's good."

Kurt gave a long, deep sigh. "The Canadian pack is no longer a threat, our children are unscathed, and in a few months I'm going to be Bound to the love of my life. Yeah, I'd say everything is very, very good."

Blaine pressed his cheek to Kurt's hair. "I love you, Kurt."

The Singer hummed and tilted his head to brush his lips against Blaine's neck. "I love you more."

…

**Thank you for sticking with me this long! It's been a wild ride. :) I love you all to pieces and if I could I'd send you brownies or cookies or whatever dessert you'd like! Alas, all I can give you is more writing. ;) So if you've already read my fics on here, feel free to check out the tumblr-exclusive drabbles I've written. (**rippleklainebagels**) Until next time!**

**Kisses,**

**~Ripple**


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